[Assam] Brothel boom aiding bars, Brothel boom aiding bars

[Pradip Kumar Datta]

      Brothel boom aiding bars
Sex and our city — Part III 
Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, July 28: In the last two reports, The Sentinel unearthed some of the dark secrets from a few lounge bars in the city in the wake of the allegations that these bars have become centres of criminal activities and sex. During out investigation, we came across entertainment girls visiting those lounge bars. It must come as a rude shock that many girls in the age group 15-24 routinely visit some specific areas in the city for purposes related to flesh trade. During its investigation The Sentinel was able to find that certain individuals take rented houses and keep girls there. They tell the house owners that the girls accompa-nying them happen to be their relatives. Exploit-ing the fact of their poverty, these individuals keep the girls in question in their rented houses in areas such as Six Mile, Beltola, Hengrabari, Japorigog, Christian Basti etc. One Ali is running a small brothel in Six Mile for past one year in a rented house of a Government employee. The owner is
 totally ignorant of it, but The Sentinel came across two girls in Ali’s house, who were ready to accompany the reporters for Rs 2,000. 
But how can one get to know these girls outside the lounge? When we met one of the girls at a lounge bar along the GS Road, she gave us her address telling us that she and her friends work as sex workers or call girls. With her help, we were able to trace several areas in the city where they are comfortable settled. 
“I am actually from a poor family. My parents stay in Nalbari, and my brother does not work at all. So I have to send money to my parents for their survival. I don’t know for how many days I would be able to provide them help,” Chandana, a call girl, told The Sentinel. 
Why do they come to lounge bars? “It is because we don’t get enough customers in our houses. On coming to the bars twice a day, we earn around Rs 5,000,” she said. On the other hand, smaller brothels, which are being run by antisocial elements, are known to the police, so claimed the call girls. “They even know our mobile numbers,” she said.
Some of the ‘big’ names in the business in the city are Mastor, Subhash, Bobi, Ajay, Paul, Ratul etc. They are staying in rented houses or apartments under different names and keep the girls. But why do these girls not oppose such evil design?
“All the girls are from poverty-stricken families. In fact they are not directly brought by the brothel owners. One girl brings another, and in this way the racket gets bigger,” one of the girls told The Sentinel. And thus some of the entertainment girls turn into call girls.
In some of the lounge bars, one will also come across a few persons wearing rings on their right ear and holding red handkerchiefs. These are not guys but gays! They, however, come in very few numbers.
During our week-long investigation across several lounge bars in the city, The Sentinel faced a whole lot of hardships. But it tried its best to unveil the truth in the best interest of the readers.     
       
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