New Delhi: In the wake of increasing rapes and other crime against women across the country, Andhra Pradesh has reportedly barred women from clubs, pubs and bars after 10 pm. The State government has also banned those under 21 from these places at any hour, despite the legal age for drinking in the country being 18.
The state government on May 3 issued a notification telling clubs, pubs and bars to ask women customers to leave after 10 pm or face cancellation of their liquor licences, daily The Telegraph reported.
According to The Telegraph, a senior police officer said the step was prompted by several incidents of drunken women quarrelling with auto drivers outside bars and clubs at night. He didn't explain why the ban targeted only women although men get involved in drunken brawls too. Women's organisations criticised the notification as "male chauvinistic". Metros such as Calcutta and Mumbai, for instance, have no gender-based restrictions about drinking in bars or nightclubs.
"Women are not drunkards. It's unjustifiable to ban their entry after 10 pm. Many women work on evening and night shifts. Such discrimination is undemocratic," said Sandya, organising secretary of the Progressive Organisation of Women.
Andhra Pradesh is the largest consumer of beer and cheap liquor in the country. Last month, Goa banned drinking liquor on beaches to avoid nuisance caused to women tourists.
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