SoBo orchestra bars fall prey to moral policing

The orchestra bars in South Mumbai are facing a unique problem, which the bar owners claim; is affecting their already-dried business.

They complain that a particular police officer often visits their bars and tries to lectures the patrons against visiting the bar. This ‘moral policing’ has resulted in patrons decreasing steadily, causing a loss to the business. The bar owners are planning to take up the matter with the higher authorities in the
police department.

Sources say that this particular police officer regularly visits the bars at night. He then snatches the mike from the singer and randomly picks up a patron for a ‘conversation’.

 Sources add that the cop apart from asking the said patron his name, he quizzes them on other personal details including martial status and how much he loves his family and children.

“After knowing these facts, the cop then starts giving lectures on family and responsibilities,” says another source from one of the bars.

 “He then further questions them about the logic behind having vices like drinking alcohol and visiting the orchestra bars and throwing away money on the bargirls,” he adds.

The sources added that the said ‘moral cop’ seems to be non-corrupt and does not in anyway try to extort money from these orchestra bars, unlike many of his colleagues.

“This kind of moral policing is seriously affecting our business” said the manager of a bar, near Grant Road.

Orchestra bars became popular after the Maharashtra government banned the dance bars.The state government added that these dance bars were encouraging prostitution and thereby destroying scores of families.

Thousands of bars girls who worked as dancers in these bars were rendered jobless. The government allowed orchestra bars to perform after the ban but with lots of limitations, where woman were allowed to work as singers and waiters.

However, the sources claim that soliciting occurs under the guise of orchestra bars too.