Article taken from Yahoo.co.in
Indian Express Saturday, April 26, 2008 2:59:36 AM
With objections raised by some of its politicians and a minister against IPL's "vulgar" cheerleaders sparking a national furore, the Maharashtra government sought to do a flip-flop on the issue on Friday and tried to duck questions over the dancers being banned.
But despite Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's statement today that the issue should be taken sportingly, the protests seemed to have stumped the organisers: they have directed cheerleaders attached to all teams to wear more clothes when their teams play in Mumbai or Navi Mumbai.
Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh maintained that this was a small issue that was being blown out of proportion. "We must take it sportingly. It is a sport," he said. "The entire issue is being examined by the Home Ministry, which is alert and thinking about which law can be applied."
Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil, instrumental in getting dance bars across Mumbai banned in 2005, hinted that a ban on cheerleaders may not be legally sustainable. "Officials are telling me that the ban cannot be sustained under law. I have asked for a report on the law under which this falls. The ban on dance bars does not mean that all forms of dance are banned in the state," said Patil, whose party chief Sharad Pawar is also the head of the cricket board.
But although there was no official order from the state government, tough words from Police Commissioner Ramrao Wagh in Navi Mumbai - where the Mumbai Indians will face off against Hyderabad's Deccan Chargers on Sunday - seemed to have had their effect.
"We have granted the cheerleaders performance licences and they are free to perform at the IPL match. However, this is provided their performance is not vulgar. If we find that they are indulging in vulgar dances, they will be booked," Wagh told The Indian Express.
Asked what qualified as "vulgar", Wagh replied: "Even courts have not come up with a strict definition of what is vulgar. However, senior police officers will be present at the spot, and if they perceive that the performance is vulgar, action will be taken."
In the first three games, the Hyderabad franchisee's all-imported cheergirls wore short skirts and low-cut tops. Hiren Pandit, managing partner of GroupM ESP, the consultancy firm hired by Deccan Chargers, confirmed that the cheerleaders will be wearing more clothes in Navi Mumbai.
"We got a call from International Management Group in Mumbai asking us to make changes in the dress code of our cheerleaders. It isn't just for Deccan Chargers but for all the teams," he said. IMG is the consultant BCCI has roped in for IPL.
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