Sex workers to honour martyrs

Even though the BMC, the police and the archaeology department of Mumbai have refused to grant permission to Mumbai sex workers to gather at Kranti Maidan to honour the martyrs of the Pathankot attack on the eve of Republic Day, the women have decided to go ahead with their plan.

Over 200 sex workers from the city have decided to gather at the Maidan to pay tribute to the martyrs on the eve of Republic Day. But their intention has hit a roadblock due to red tapism.

Despite trying for a week to get permission from the government to do the programme, the officials concerned are passing the buck to other departments, said Vinay Vasta, founder of SAI, an NGO that works for sex workers and their children.

“When we first approached the police, they asked us to approach BMC. Later, BMC referred us to archaeology department. Now, the archaeology department is stating that to procure permission, we need to apply a month in advance,” said Mr Vasta.

“But the incident happened in the first week of this month, there was no time to apply beforehand,” he added.

They sought permission from the archaeology department as Kranti Maidan is being maintained by the heritage department, which comes under the archaeology wing.

On January 2, a heavily armed group attacked the Pathankot Air Force Station in Punjab in which seven officers succumbed in the initial firing.

On Thursday, the NGO also visited the ministry of culture that heads the archaeology department to get the permission but they haven’t received any response.

“But this won’t stop us from doing the programme as we want to show our gratitude to these fighters especially through these sex workers,” said Patil Arvind, manager, SAI.