Meet krantikari Manjit ‘dance bar’ Sethi

While passing the busy lane near Dadar station, one cannot miss the huge hoardings of dance bar association president, Manjit Singh Sethi, lending support to anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare.

A closer look at the hoarding and you will read that Sethi is a krantikari (revolutionist), a self-conferred title.

"Any large-scale movement can never be successful only on the basis of non-violence. Militant struggle is equally important. I mentioned to Anna about it recently. I want to be a krantikari as it's not a title but a feeling," said Sethi, sitting inside his iron-walled at Dadar.

The messiah of bar girls, who has been targeted twice by suspected Chhota Shakeel men, sits in his office with a double-barrel gun on the wall and armed with two revolvers.

"The role of Bhagat Singh in the country's freedom struggle was as important as that of Mahatma Gandhi," he said.
One cannot miss a tattered thick voluminous book in Hindi, Krantikari Kathaye (revolutionary stories), kept on his table. "It's a life changing book," said Sethi.

Sethi, it seems, has starting erasing his past. He has closed down his dance bar, Karishma, at Dadar. In its place, he has built a restaurant. He said he would quit from the post of dance bar association after the judgment of the dance bar case is out. In 2006, Home Minister RR Patil banned the dance bars in the city.
"I am waiting for the judgment, after which, I will quit the association," he adds.

Sethi is starting an NGO which will act as a platform for the people to give information about the black money (especially those parked outside the country in safe heaven) to the investigating agencies.

"People don't like to come forward to give details about black money due to the fear. Our NGO will help them remain anonymous and pass the information to the investigating agencies," said Sethi.