Indian TV Host Slapped For Wearing A 'Short Dress'

Indian actress and model Gauhar Khan poses for photographers as she walks the green carpet for the 15th annual International Indian Film Awards, which were held April 26 in Tampa, Fla. Gauhar was slapped Sunday during the filming of an Indian TV show by an audience member who deemed her dress too short.

Chris O'Meara/AP

An Indian television host and actress was slapped during the filming of a talent show by a man who said her dress was too short.

Police arrested 24-year-old Akil Malik for allegedly slapping Gauhar Khan on Sunday during the filming of India's Raw Star, a televised singing contest that she hosts. Security guards overpowered Malik before summoning the police.

Police quoted Malik as telling Khan that "being a Muslim woman, she should not have worn such a short dress." Malik, like Khan, is Muslim.

"He attacked my integrity and tried to camouflage his cowardice by his rubbish claims of wanting to send out a message that he thought the youth of India needed today," Khan said. "Who allowed the moron to decide what the world should be doing? Why doesn't a loser like him have the fear of the law before he decides to attack a girl who is unarmed, unprepared and someone who is trying to do her work to the best of her ability?"

And she added: "This loser doesn't represent my beautiful faith, which in itself means peace and submission."

In a tweet, Khan later thanked her supporters.

Indian women are often the target of attacks by men, and the issue has gained prominence in recent years amid several much-publicized rapes.