The Punjab government, on Friday, ordered action against the people behind posters pasted in Bathinda to organise a beauty competition to choose a girl of a particular caste for marriage to a non-resident Indian (NRI) with Canadian PR (permanent residency).

The minister of social security, women and child development Dr Baljit Kaur said the beauty contest advertisement in Bathinda is condemnable. The minister ordered the director of the social security, women and child development department to submit a report on the matter as soon as possible.

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Dr Kaur asked the Deputy Commissioner Bathinda to take strict action under Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Management) Act, 1986. After which an FIR has been filed against those who planted the controversial flex and arrested.

The minister said the matter came to her notice through social media. “There will be an awareness march in the city against the incident,” she said, adding the desire of Punjabi’s to settle abroad also causes such incidents to happen.

As per the posters in Bathinda, the beauty competition has been organised at the Sweet Milan hotel in Bathinda on 23 October in which the girl who wins will be given a chance to marry a person having a Canadian PR. But so far there is no information about the organisers of this programme. All the contact numbers given in the poster were switched off when contacted.

In the advertisement for the event, the organisers have written “sunder ladkiyon ka mukabla” (only for general caste).

The owner of Sweet Milan said they had no such booking. He said he would approach the police if his name had been wrongly used.

Bathinda Police, on Friday, tweeted, “Objectionable posters were pasted in some parts of Bathinda city and were also circulating on #Socialmedia in which Indecent words were written against women.”

The Bathinda Police said an FIR was registered and action was being taken. “Taking swift action Bathinda Police registered an FIR and action is being taken against the guilty persons. Violation of law will not be tolerated at any cost,” the police said.