When a woman’s clothes are torn during a police crackdown, not just democratic protocol but basic human dignity is violated and shattered . By Rajeshree Nagarsekar / _____________________ Under statutory legal provisions, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) guidelines, etc; the state is legally bound to protect the modesty of a woman during crowd control operations. Most importantly the reference to the landmark Supreme Court judgments -- the Sheela Barse vs. State of Maharashtra has to be made. These judgments arising from Public Interest Litigation (PIL) initiated by independent journalist Sheela Barse are said to have drastically reshaped the interpretation of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution (Right to Life and Personal Liberty) by extending basic human rights, dignity, and legal protection to prisoners. It acts as a foundational constitutional shield and can be directly applied to safeguard the rights of female protestors who are detained or arrested by ...