31 held for ‘dirty dancing’ by police

Mumbai, July 06: The law enforcers are back to moral policing. The Bangur Nagar police raided a lounge, Oro, in Mumbai’s Malad for playing DJ music without permission and rounded up 31 youngsters on the charge that they were dancing ‘indecently’ late on Saturday night.

The police fined them Rs 1,200 each for “indecent behaviour” under the Bombay Police Act before releasing them on early Sunday. The police justified their action against the youngsters on “moral grounds”. This is perhaps the first time the police have rounded up revellers for “indecent dancing”.

Generally, the police only take action against the organizers who play DJ music without permission. But in the Malad case, the police took a moral stand and insisted that the way the youths were dancing inside the converted disco was “objectionable” and decided to act against them.

“Ten of the 31 offenders were girls. They were dancing vulgarly in the converted disco, which is considered to be a public place,” said zonal DCP Mahesh Patil.

Witnesses said the police rounded up around 77 people, even those having dinner at the lounge.