Mira-Bhayanadar: It took a viral video clip showing women indulging in raunchy dance performances with patrons showering money for the police to wake up from their slumber and raid the establishment which was operating under the guise of a live orchestra bar in Kashimira late on Wednesday night.
Minutes after the video clip went viral on various social media platforms, the police raided Hotel Night City -a notorious ladies-cum-orchestra bar located adjacent to the highway in Kashimira. Ten people including four women, soliciting customers, manager, cashier and waiters at the bar were rounded up. The women were allowed to go after being issued a notice under section 41 (a) (1) of the code of criminal procedure (CrPC).
Police register offense against bar staff
However instead of invoking the relevant sections of the stringent Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women Act- 2016, the police registered an offence under section 294 (obscene acts and songs) of the IPC.
Ironically cash amounting just ₹2,500 was recovered from the bar counter, this despite the fact that the video clearly showed patrons showering wades of currency notes on the women. Moreover, the actual beneficiaries including the owner and the operator of the establishment remained at large.
