Andheri West-based sexologist, Dr Uttam Dave has been booked for obscenity after circulating advertorial pamphlets - enclosed in newspapers - of his clinic, featuring various sex positions
Dr Uttam Dave
Dr Uttam Dave has worked himself into quite a tight position. The Andheri West-based sexologist has been booked for obscenity after circulating advertorial pamphlets - enclosed in newspapers - of his clinic, featuring various sex positions. The newspaper vendor has also been booked.
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Shireen Habib Shaikh (30), a nursery schoolteacher from Jogeshwari West, picked up two Urdu newspapers from a stall on the morning of April 2 and found pamphlets of a sex clinic, Maximum Performance Clinic, within their pages.
The pamphlets listed '13 Truths and Myths related to Sex' in a Q&A format. What alarmed the teacher were three accompanying sketches of human figures in different sex positions. At the bottom of each pamphlet were Dr Uttam Dave's credentials, his contact details, and his clinic's location at DN Nagar, Andheri West.
The teacher felt that the sketches were distasteful and could be a harmful influence on children.
Shaikh, who is also the district president of NGO Mumbaikar Vikas Foundation, tried to get in touch with Dr Dave, along with members of the NGO, to question the motives behind circulating such an advertorial and impress upon him the dangers that it poses. But the doctor was not available.
Shaikh then marched into Amboli police station, with some women, and filed a complaint on April 3.
"Dr Dave has been booked under sections 292 (2)(a) (sells, lets to hire, distributes, publicly exhibits or in any manner puts into circulation any obscene book, pamphlet, paper, drawing, painting, representation or figure or any other obscene object), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. We are investigating the matter, and if required, he will be arrested," said Bharat Gaikwad, senior inspector of the police station.
A newspaper vendor, Sachin, and another unidentified person have been made co-accused in the case.
Shaikh told mid-day that five to six women of her neighbourhood had approached her, with the offending pamphlet, prompting her to take on Dr Dave. Pointing out that everyone's perception of sex isn't the same, she said besides being a "bad influence" on children, the pamphlet could be offensive women. "Children read newspapers as well. Publicly circulating the pamphlets through such means could leave a lasting impact on the minds of impressionable children."
Sufiyan Mistry, secretary of Mumbaikar Vikas Foundation, echoed the concern. "A newspaper is read by all members of a family. We have written to the medical department concerned asking that the doctor's licence be cancelled."
Farhan Batliwala, a businessman from Oshiwara who found a pamphlet of Dr Dave in a tabloid, contended that circulation via newspapers isn't the right way to go about busting myths related to sex or promote a sex clinic.
Izaj Makarani, a taxi driver from Andheri who chanced upon the pamphlets, dubbed the sketches obscene.
Dr Dave was unavailable for comment despite calls and messages.
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