ITEM girl Liza Malik, who made headlines recently after claiming that she had been getting calls to fix IPL matches, now finds herself in the midst of another controversy.
ITEM girl Liza Malik, who made headlines recently after claiming that she had been getting calls to fix IPL matches, now finds herself in the midst of another controversy.
The Nari Samman Sangathan, a Mumbai-based NGO fighting for women's rights, has taken strong objection to Malik posing nude for the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA's) campaign against the use of leather balls in cricket. It has called her participation in the campaign obscene and a means of garnering cheap publicity. 
Liza Malik says she is a serious animal lover and does her bit for feeding stray dogs as well
The Sangathan has also slapped a legal notice on Malik for 'hurting the sentiment and dignity of women who are also worshipped as goddesses by many in the society'.
"How can the lady protect animal rights by posing nude? If you want to contribute to a noble cause, you can do that by extending financial help, but, in Liza's case, it looks fishy since a lot of aspiring models work with established NGOs like PeTA simply to propagate nudity and garner cheap publicity," said Sundari Thakur, the NGO's president.
Thakur added, "Since the Social Service Branch of the Mumbai Police is becoming more vigilant about curbing obscene imagery on hoardings and on television, some item girls and models are taking to nudity under the garb of such NGOs and are promoting themselves in the wrong way".
Advocate Abhay Dakwe, who is representing the Sanghathan, said, "The model's act amounts to obscenity and is nothing but an effort to get cheap publicity. Lisa should refrain from these acts and apologise in writing to my client or we will be compelled to take legal action against Liza".
Unfazed
When contacted, an unfazed Malik refuted the charges. "I think it is an international way of propagating the interest of animal rights. Pamela Anderson posed for PeTA in the buff as well and, in my case, if I would have worn a sari and fought against the use of animal skin, no one would have noticed it.
Since this issue has sparked a debate on the poster simultaneously, the purpose of getting the cause noticed has been served."
"I would like to bring to your notice that I am an animal lover and also do my bit by helping those who feed and vaccinate stray dogs.
In fact, people should stop mudslinging and join hands with PeTA in me in barring ICC and BCCI from using leather balls used for cricketing purpose. I am an animal lover and I am willing to go out of the way and do anything to protect animals," she added.
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