Entrepreneur Vineeta Singh has slammed the new regulation at her son’s school which bans girls from sitting in the first few rows of the school bus in order to “minimise contact” with drivers. The 41-year-old businesswoman described the move as “convenient”, by placing more restrictions on young girls.

She further compared the offending new rule to Bengal government’s “night duty may be avoided for women to extent possible” in the wake of a 31-year-old trainee doctor raped and murdered during a rest break at a Kolkata hospital on August 9.

“This week a new regulation was implemented at my son’s school where girls have been banned from sitting in the first few rows of the school bus in order to “minimise contact” with the school bus drivers… Reminds me of the new West Bengal guidelines for doctors: “night duty may be avoided for women to the extent possible”,” said Ms Singh, co-founder and CEO of Sugar cosmetics, in an Instagram post.

Describing the move as convenient, the businesswoman said soon schools around the country will follow this example.

“By next month institutions across the country would have done what’s always been the most convenient. Put thousands of MORE restrictions on girls because of course, boys will be boys!,” said Ms Singh, a former judge on Shark Tank India.

The businesswoman underscored that the new rule will only end up curtailing women’s freedom and agency.

“Eventually we can create these giant protective cages for women like the ones used for doing research on sharks, because men will be men! This is NOT the change women are seeking!,” she said.

“Parents of little daughters are already paranoid and protective as they live in fear. Can we not add to that burden with institutional curbs on girls? Every additional restriction is a subtle message to young girls that for their own survival they should not even expect to be treated equally and that freedom and opportunities will always be discounted for them,” she said further.

She also said that the onus is on “us” to be better and not burden women by placing more restrictions.

“As a parent of two boys, I want this additional burden of responsibility to instead be on us. It is high time we raise our boys as kind humans who understand the true meaning of equality, respect and consent. If there are going to be curbs, they should be on boys so they don’t cross the finer lines before bad behaviour becomes a habit, not on girls. Cages are meant for predators, not for the prey,” she said.

An average of nearly 90 rapes a day were reported in 2022 in the country.

New Delhi:

Vineeta Singh, entrepreneur and Shark Tank India judge, has come forward to dismiss persistent rumours of her death. She took to her social media handle on Saturday to address the false claims that have been circulating for weeks.

In a post on X, the Sugar Cosmetics CEO shared a screenshot of a misleading report with the headline, “A hard day for India: We say goodbye to Vineeta Singh.”

She refuted the claims, highlighting that such false reports have been circulating for the past five weeks. Despite her efforts to combat the spread of misinformation, including filing a complaint with the Mumbai Crime Branch and reporting to Meta (formerly Facebook) and the Mumbai Cyber Police, the rumours have persisted.

“Been dealing with paid PR about my death & my arrest for 5 weeks. Ignored it at first, then reported to @Meta several times, filed @Mum_CyberPolice complaint but it’s not stopping. The hardest part is when folks panic & call my mom. Any suggestions?” Vineeta Singh wrote in her tweet.

Been dealing with paid PR about my death & my arrest for 5 weeks. Ignored it at first, then reported to @Meta several times, filed @Mum_CyberPolice complaint but it’s not stopping. The hardest part is when folks panic & call my mom Few of the posts are below. Any suggestions? pic.twitter.com/XYyQ5G2EoM

— Vineeta Singh (@vineetasng) April 20, 2024

The entrepreneur expressed her frustration with the situation, especially when people reach out to her family to verify the false news. She sought suggestions from netizens on how to handle the ongoing misinformation campaign.

Reacting to Ms Singh’s post, many social media users expressed concern and urged the authorities to take prompt action against the spread of fake news.

Mumbai Police also responded to the post urging Ms Singh to reach out to them. The entrepreneur thanked them for the support.

Vineeta Singh has been an integral part of Shark Tank India since its inception. Recently, she shared a vibrant video from the wrap-up party of the show’s third season on her Instagram handle, expressing gratitude to her fellow sharks and the production team.