10 Of 15 Nightclubs On Gurugram's MG Road Face Shutdown For Sex Trade

MG Road¡¯s Mall Mile, the first major nightlife hotspot to come up in Delhi-NCR, is in big trouble. In a massive crackdown following reports of ¡°illegal activities¡±, Gurugram police has withdrawn the no objection certificates (NOCs) it had issued to 10 of the 15 nightclubs in the area.

The cops have also recommended to the excise department that the licences of these clubs be cancelled. Fearing closure, the owners and employees of these clubs on Sunday protested on MG Road, alleging that police were biased against clubs on this stretch.

The clubs that have had their NOCs revoked are Prisom, Ipsa, Odysee, Sydey and Ignite in Sahara Mall; King and Ion in JMD Regent Arcade Mall; and Empire, Queen and Phantom in MGF Metropolitan Mall.

bccl/representational image

The action follows police raids earlier in the month on several clubs on Mall Mile. On July 4, cops had arrested seven people, including two nightclub owners from two malls ¡ª Sahara and MGF ¡ª for their alleged involvement in sex trade, after a midnight raid on Phantom and Ignite.

On July 19, another nightclub, Ion in JMD Regent Arcade, was raided and four people arrested, including two of the club¡¯s dancers, again on charges of sex trade.

In a letter to the excise department recommending cancellation of licences, police wrote: ¡°Residents of adjoining societies and public in general have raised objections against the clubs functioning in Sahara, JMD Regent Arcade and MGF Metropolitan malls on MG Road, for their regular involvement in illegal activities.

bccl/representational image

Three criminal cases have also been registered against three clubs for their involvement in prostitution. Keeping in view public interest, NOCs issued by police have been withdrawn with immediate effect, and cancellation of licences of these clubs is recommended.¡±

Club owners and employees hit the streets on Sunday protesting the police action. They claimed they were being harassed even after paying hefty taxes and fees. ¡°The NOC was withdrawn just three months after both our licence and NOC were renewed. What has changed in the last three months?¡± asked a club owner.

Club owners alleged that cops come to their clubs frequently to make recordings, which was affecting their business. ¡°Every club has several CCTV cameras.

bccl/representational image

They can take as many recordings as they want from these. But police make their own recordings to intimidate patrons,¡± said Vijay Pal, owner of Ignite and president of MG Road Club Association.

Pal denied any immoral activities at MG Road malls, and claimed that prostitution was going on at various guesthouses and societies, where girls can be seen soliciting at different parts of the city to lure customers. ¡°But cops only target MG Road clubs,¡± said Pal. He added that the closure of the clubs would leave around 700 people jobless.

Gurugram police commissioner K K Rao said there were 250-300 clubs in the city, but only MG Road residents had been complaining about sex trade, while people in others parts of the city had no issues with clubs in their neighbourhoods.

bccl/representational image

Police, he said, were withdrawing the NOCs they had given in the best interest of the public. ¡°We¡¯ve already written to the excise department for cancellation of licences of these clubs,¡± said Rao, adding that cancellation of the licences, issued on the basis of NOCs, was now a ¡°forgone conclusion¡±.

Rao also said police were looking into legal ways of sealing the premises of these clubs, and were taking the opinion of officials. ¡°We can also seal the premises. We¡¯re studying ways to do it,¡± he said.

Deputy excise and taxation commissioner (east) Snehlata Yadav confirmed that she had received the request for cancellation of licences from police. ¡°We¡¯ve sent it to our headquarters in Panchkula for further action,¡± said Yadav.