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Axe falls on Mumbai dance bars
April 12, 2005
The Maharashtra government has decided to shut down all dance bars in Mumbai.
A decision to this effect was taken at the Cabinet meeting held today, government sources said.
The announcement in this regard is likely to be made by Deputy Chief Minister and Home minister R R Patil in the state legislature soon,
sources added.
Patil had on March 31 announced ban on dance bars in the state excluding Mumbai, for propagating obscenity, and had said that a policy for
dance bars in Mumbai would be announced soon.
Bar girls protest
Meanwhile, Mumbai's bar girls today protested against the government's decision in New Delhi.
The girls say that the only choice they have after the ban, is to turn to prostitution.
Geeta Shetty from Nasik, is a mother of two. After her husband walked out on her, she had no choice but to turn to a job in Mumbai's bars to
support her children.
She is in Delhi to fight for 75,000 women like her in Maharashtra, whose lives have been affected with the state government's decision to
close down these bars across the state.
"No girl likes to dance in these bars. But what alternative do we have? Now we want to know what the government has thought for us," said
Geeta.
Facing threats
Some of the women are too scared to reveal their identity. A woman from Punjab said she and others like her have been receiving threats from
politicians in their state.
It was NCP minister RR PAtil, who took the controversial decision.
These women say that they are daily wage earners who have no savings to fall back on.
And if the ban continues, they will be forced into prostitution, they add.
"If the government shuts the bars we will have no option but to turn to prostitution. So the government should be ready to face the
consequences," said one bar girl.
"The government gives the licenses, and now, with so many of us unemployed, we are their responsibility. Otherwise what will we do? We will
have to turn to prostitution," adds another.
Seeking help
The first stop in Delhi for these women was the National Commission for Women.
The Human Rights Commission and the Minorities Commission were the other groups they met.
They are demanding that either the ban should be lifted, or they should be given other jobs by the government.
"They have lost their livelihood and they need an alternative. We will put their case forward to the government," said Nafisa Hussain,
Member, NCW.
"We really want them to get rehabilitated. Returning to the bars should not be an option," she added.
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