BOMBAY, 31 March 2005 — All dance bars in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, except in Bombay and Thane, have been closed down because they were featuring scantily-clad dancers and breeding crimes, state Home Minister R.R. Patil said.
“The government has decided to ban the bars in the state, except Bombay and Thane, should be closed with immediate effect,” Patil told the state legislative assembly.
“It has been seen that a lot of youth in these (rural) areas splurge money in these bars and indulge in crimes. On immediate basis the licenses of these bars will be canceled.”
Nearly 1,500 dance bars operate in Maharashtra employing more than 100,000 women, most of whom ape Bollywood numbers for customers looking for food, liquor and entertainment.
Police claim that many of the bars double as pick-up joints. Patil said the government would also soon take a decision regarding the future of dance bars in Bombay, adding that a committee would re-examine the issue.
“Bombay has a long history of such bars and closing them will not be easy. The committee will look into this and offer suggestions,” Patil told the assembly house.
The state government has long been trying to get the dance bars to clean up their acts, periodically ordering police to launch raids in which hundreds of dancers and owners are arrested. In August, tens of thousands of bar dancers and owners staged a rally in Bombay to protest alleged police harassment.
