BANGALORE: One of the elitist and oldest clubs of the city, the Bangalore Club, is today battling a sea of controversies.
As one walks down the bustling Residency Road, one can’t help but glance into the gates which houses a colonial structure, artistically hidden by trees. The historic club, stands peacefully unfazed by the changing scenario.
While the club has a lot to be proud of, it has suddenly found itself in the thick of controversies. What started as a security guard doing his duty, has taken an ugly turn and become a ‘puppet show’ of power. Ashik Uddin Lasker, a security guard thought it was his duty to ask for members to display their membership cards. But what Lasker did not know is that when the member is a senior IPS officer, a mere following of duty would be taken as an insult.
On the day of the incident, R P Sharma, additional director general of police (ADGP) of Railways took offense that a security guard dared to question his membership. It is alleged that Sharma’s security personnel beat up Lasker. While many would expect an institution to not care about a security guard manning the gates, the club, to the surprise of everyone, suspended the membership of Sharma for a month.
It was then all hell broke loose. “Hell hath no fury like a civil servant scorned,” said PC Balachandran, a member for 30 years now.
After Sharma’s membership was suspended, the club suddenly found itself facing a slew of ‘sudden inspections’ from various government bodies. From the city’s municipal body, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and a few days ago, the Excise department, the club seems to have become the state government’s dart board.
The winning throw has gone to the Excise department. On Tuesday, excise authorities suspended the Club’s liquor license for a month. What was their offence? Serving liquor through multiple counters. The club has two bars—the Men's Counter and the Umbrella Bar—while the latter had stopped serving liquor sometime ago, the Men’s counter was sealed on Tuesday afternoon.
Any another time, the suspension would have not attracted much attention, but being the month of Christmas and New Year, the plug has been pulled on the club’s party plans.
With more than 2000 members bringing the New Year at the club, the dawn of 2015 might be a bleak one for the Club. “It is favourite place with many patrons attending the party with their family. They get to have a relaxed time, not to think of work, have great conversations with their friends,” said a member.
But ask the members whether the club should have handled the matter differently and a resounding ‘no’ is the answer.
However, Sharma had said that allegations of revenge were baseless. “I have no idea about excise department. Also, I had brought these issues to the notice of the secretary on October 25—many days before the incident happened. You tell me why people think this to be an act of vendetta,” he questioned.
Sharma further added that he would reconsider his membership at the club. “I will wait for the results of the investigation into the license violations before deciding whether I want to be associated with the club. If the club has irregularities, I will regret being a member. However, if it comes clean, I would consider remaining a member,” he said.
The historic club was established in 1868 for the officers of the British army posted in the city. Post Independence, the doors were thrown open for Indian defence officers. To say that it boasts of an illustrious line-up is an understatement. The club, when it last opened its membership, had a waiting list of over 30 years.
The club, which then hosted high ranking British officers and their families, is now a favourite place to unwind for most high profile locals. “It is a home away from home for most of us,” says Ian Faria. A member for almost 20 years, the motivational speaker becomes instantly happy while talking about the club. “It is a club rooted in tradition, a strong sense of morality and righteousness,” he says.