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Gay arrests continue

By on September 27, 2011

Despite the Delhi High Court overturning India’s colonial-era sodomy laws, Indian police continue to make mass arrests of gay men at private parties, citing licensing violations and indecency laws.
On September 18, Mumbai police arrested 133 people at a party at a house in the Versova Beach area on charges of “indecent behaviour”.

A police spokesman said most of those arrested were homosexuals.

“The team found that those at the party were behaving in an indecent manner as defined under the Bombay Police Act so they were detained and asked to pay a fine of 1200 rupees each,” Oshiwara police deputy commissioner Pratap Dighavkar said.

Under Mumbai’s indecency laws, police can arrest and fine people for dancing or holding hands.

Transgender Bollywood actor Bobby Darling, who was among those arrested, accused the police of bias.

“I doubt the police would have taken such action had it not been a gay party,” Darling said. “I did not see any form of indecent behaviour.”

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