DGP ask officers to puts on hold Dance bar licence

• In a letter, DGP asked officials not to grant licences in a hurry as government is bringing up a new legislation

By Dheeraj Fartode

Hopes of bar owners in Maharashtra of getting licenses to restart lucrative business of staging dances of bar girls have been halted following  a clear directive from office of Director General of Police (DGP) to put on hold all applications or at best adopt go slow approach. 

The DGP has directed field units not to process applications for license as of now since Maharashtra Government is coming-up with new legislation to ban dance performances by bar girls.

Meanwhile, six bar owners in second capital have applied to Nagpur Police, seeking license to stage performance of female dance troupes. Dance bar in city could never pick momentum after a spate of raids in 2001 by then DCP Sanjay Kumar and DCP Kulwant Kumar under the leadership of then Commissioner of Police Omprakash Bali after the High Court had asked the cops to take stern action against dance bars for obscenity.

Dance Bar

After the dance bars were formally closed down in Maharashtra, the dance bar business, which was never a prime attraction here, quietly changed its form and activities shifted to farm-houses in rural areas, where some dance performances were organised under the guise of private parties. 

But with Maharashtra Government in a fresh combative mood not to allow dance performances in bars, the police officials are not very keen to process the applications. The communiqué from office of DGP has advised field units not to initiate any move to process the licence of bar owners as State Home Ministry is drafting a new law to reimpose ban on dance performances in bars. The DGP office further directed commissionerates and district police chiefs not to rush into giving licence.

The express directive from DGP barring grant of any licence has also sought details from field units whether any licence has been granted for dance performances in the bars, it is learnt.

The long battle between the owners of dance bars and the Maharashtra Government had ended on March 2 when Supreme Court turned aside State’s ban on dance performances in liquor bars. The Apex Court had also directed the police in its order to issue the license to the dance bars by March 15.

A senior police officer of City Police informed The Hitavada that cops are adhering strictly to Apex Court’s judgment while processing the applications from six bar owners in city. But now that State is bringing in new law, “There is no point in scrutinising license application, the officials here said. The city police have not yet given permission to anyone, it is learnt.

Old players in first run up 

Those who applied for the license are old players in the business. They had already made all arrangements to convert their bar into dance bars. Two of them are already running Orchestra in their premises which are situated in Zone IV and Zone I of Commissionerate.

Sources informed that many bar owners are eyeing the lucrative business of dance performance and hence keen to get the police permission. They are adopting ‘wait and watch’ policy as of now. If the six bar owners gets the license then others will also apply for the same as nobody wants to be left out of profitable venture, sources confirmed. 

What are the restrictions? 

As per the guidelines, cops will ask the bar owners to follow rules wherein 

n only 4 dancers are allowed at a time on the floor 

• CCTVs will have to installed at entrance to bars
• Minors can’t be told to perform
• Dancers should not be allowed to drink
• No-smoking restriction should be followed in toto
• No showering of notes on the dancers
• Maintaining reasonable distance between dancers customers 
• Dress code for dancers.