Please take note, they are servers, not bar dancers

Members of Karnataka Hotels, Bars and Restaurants Working Women’s Welfare Association do not want to be harassed anymore. BC Gopalakrishna, acting president of the association, said on Tuesday that the police were continuing to badger bars and restaurants employing women despite them being well under the jurisdiction of law.

“On September 24, 2008, a law was passed that women can be employed in bars and restaurants and the 51 hotels hired women. We’re not disturbed until May 31this year when the police started coming in and threatening raids on our institutions,” he said. Even a signed affidavit from the commissioner did not put an end to these threats.

“On December 12, there was an open raid in Gandhinagar. Customers have stopped coming because they are in fear of being raided,” he said. Hotel owners said they were well within the purview of the law by employing women who are not bar dancers.

“We can prove that the women in our bars are just servers. The police are more than welcome to go through our CCTV footage if they have any doubts,” said Mohan Kumar, a hotel owner.

In July, the high court directed that women can be employed in bars and restaurants if the owners file affidavits before the commissioner of police stating that they will not force women to serve liquor to customers.

The direction came responding to a petition which contended that police were preventing women employees in bars and restaurants from working.

On May 31, the police commissioner had instructed to close down bars and restaurants where women employed as barmaids were being engaged in illegal activities.

The petitioners had challenged the police action. They contended that no notice was issued to them, nor an opportunity of hearing was provided. They said the women employees were working in accordance with the law.