Regular Raids On Dance Bars To Nail Violators: Police Commissioner

Bhubaneswar: Following reports of violation of rules for operating dance bars, the Commissionerate Police has decided to conduct regular raids on such establishments in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

On Friday night, 10 girls, along with the bar manager and the event manager, were detained during a raid on a dance bar at Kharavela Nagar here. During the investigation, police found that the bar was operating without licence and had no permission to conduct musical events. The bar was sealed and the girls were sent to a short-stay home.

Section 25 of the Odisha Excise Act, 2008, bars employment of children or women by licensed vendors in an area in which liquor is consumed.

Attending the first crime meeting after assuming charge, Twin City Police Commissioner Satyajit Mohanty on Saturday said, “The DCPs and ACPs of the twin cities will prepare strategies for carrying out simultaneous raids on dance bars engaged in illegal activities.”

In 2014, the excise department had served notices to six bars in the city after a surprise raid revealed that these had employed women as dancers. One of these bars also had women serving liquor.

Mohanty further said that the Commissionerate Police is focusing on nabbing history-sheeters and criminals by opening and verifying the cases pending against them at various police stations.