Police asks Play Boy Club to change its name

Hyderabad, Aug 12 (INN): The Cyberabad Police on Tuesday clarified that the permission for Play Boy Club was not granted by the Telangana Government and it came into existence before the formation of Telangana on June 2.

According to Cyberabad Commissioner CV Anand, the license to start the club was issued by the Police and other departments such as GHMC, Fire and Excise strictly adhering to existing terms and conditions.

Police license was given on 31-05-2014; Excise license was given for entire Novotel and Convention Center on 14-07-2013 and renewed on 14-07-2014 and is valid till 31-07-2015; Fire license was given on 21-09-2013 and is valid till 02-09-2014 and GHMC trade license was given for the financial year 2013-2014 and 2014-2015.

Therefore, the police department only renewed the previous license given to Novotel and HICC Pvt Ltd permitting to play music and operate a club in the name of "The Club" earlier issued on 21.12.2012.

Subsequently, the club under went renovation and Novotel and HICC authorities contracted a different entity by name "Play boy Hyderabad" to run the pub on the same terms and conditions on the license issued on 21-12-2012.

Anand said that the allegations by some groups that the license was given by the Telangana Governemnt were false as it was processed before the Telangana State was formed on June 2.

The Commissioner further said that as many as 21 conditions were laid down for the running of the club in the proceedings by the police department on May 31 this year.

These conditions make it very clear that there shall not be any display of nude dances/acts/films, obscene gestures etc., Further, no obscene posters, nude/semi-nude advertisements in news papers shall be allowed in the marketing of pub or any event related to it. The Novotel and Play boy club Management have under taken to comply with these conditions and any violation will lead to cancellation of the police license, he said.

"In the light of the recent protests and apprehensions expressed by various groups of the civil society, a fresh set of conditions are issued where in it is made very clear that no women should be employed within the club as a Bunny, Teaser, waitresses hostesses or in any other manner," he said.

Further, the police department has suggested to the management to voluntarily make changes in the name of the club so that it would not give scope for any apprehension or objections form women and student groups in particular and civil society in general which is being associated with the name "Play Boy ".

The club had recently received protests from various women organizations and student groups objecting to the use of the "Play Boy" brand. The protesters apprehended that women may be used as waitresses-called as Bunnys and Teasers to serve food and beverages act as hostesses and any other possible depiction of women in an objectionable and indecent manner and thus setting an un-healthy trend in Hyderabad City.