In a bizarre diktat, a Kerala bureaucrat said that if a man stares at a woman for more than 14 seconds, he can land in jail. Kerala Excise Commissioner Rishiraj Singh  has created a furore with his comment that he could be charged for harassment. According to Singh, if a man is found staring at a woman for more than 14 seconds, a case can be filed against him. Social media has been abuzz with the bizarre statement made by the bureaucrat. However not everyone was amused with Singh's specific definition of harassament with sports minister EP Jayarajan terming the comments as "disgusting".

Further, Singh also emphasised on how important it is for women to learn martial arts as a life skill. He prompted them to report about situations which they feel outrage their modesty. He also urged women to keep small knives and pepper sprays handy. "Do you carry a knife or chilly or pepper spray in your bags? if you don't the time is long overdue for you to do so," he reportedly told the participants while addressing a state-level empowerment programme for students at Kochi. Singh was then ADGP, Armed Forces Battalion. He had been posted there after being removed as chief vigilance officer, Kerala State Electricity Board after he upset many in the ruling party by conducting surprise raids against power thefts.