NO ENTRY, CLUBS ON MG ROAD IN GURUGRAM TELL SINGLE WOMEN

GURUGRAM: Single women are being denied entry into pubs and nightclubs on M-G Road in Gurugram after the police conducted raids in the area on July 3 to check alleged solicitation and immoral trafficking, and club owners decided that the easiest way to avoid a repeat was to not allow any single women into their premises.

Most clubs and pubs on M-G Road are not granting access to women unless they are accompanied by their husbands, and are able to furnish proof of the fact that they are married. Single women, or women accompanied by a friend or partner, are all being turned away by clubs citing a “no-single-women” policy. The move has not gone down well with women in the city who say the practice is discriminatory.

“I have often been told that soliciting in a very subtle nature happens at M-G Road. I have seen a lot of women around. But even if this is the case, it’s ridiculous to bar women. Restricting women’s mobility just doesn’t help to improve any situation. Instead, these curbs become problematic for single women,” said Tanya Sharma, who teaches theatre at a private school in the city.

Hindustan Times visited five pubs and clubs in three malls over two consecutive nights for a spot check. HT found that the activity in these clubs was picking up once again, with one difference. There were no women around. When an HT reporter tried to enter a club at DT Mall alone around 11pm, she was turned away by a bouncer who told her that only married couples were allowed inside.

At MGF Mall, the security staff at another pub told the team that only married couples could enter. “Are you with your husband? Show me the proof,” a bouncer said. At Sahara Mall, the reporter wasn’t even allowed to enter the mall . Men were walking in without any checks.