India’s cultural and tourism minister has been accused of putting people off visiting the country after he advised female tourists not to wear skimpy clothes and to avoid going out at night. Mahesh Sharma said: “For their own safety, women foreign visitors should not wear short dresses and skirts. Indian culture is different from western culture.” Speaking in the city of Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, Sharma said an advisory leaflet was being prepared for foreigners ahead of the main tourist season, which starts in October. The minister said women would also be advised to record the registration number of any vehicles they travelled in and to forward it to their friends, as an added safety measure. However, opposition parties and women’s rights activists have condemned Sharma’s comments as ‘misogynistic’. Ranjana Kumari of the Centre for Social Research, a women’s advocacy group, said the advice would scare visitors off coming to India. It follows a number of high profile rape cases in India, some of which have involved foreign women, many in taxis and on public transport. In 2015, police recorded an average of six reported rape cases a day, said The Telegraph.