A female security guard opens the door for a lady at a shopping mall. Picture by UB Photos

Dec. 11: Wanted: strong and stout women, age preferably between 18 and 30 years, height 5.5 to 6 feet and weight 60kg to 65kg.

Bars in the city are on the lookout for strong women who can be deployed as bouncers to tackle female revellers.

“Bouncers are specialised security guards and specially trained to tackle security-related issues. They are strong, stout and are often provided martial arts training to tackle security situations. A few bars here have male bouncers but I have not come across any female bouncer here,” a former serviceman providing training to candidates in a private security agency said.

Following the July 9 GS Road molestation case outside a bar, the Kamrup (metro) district administration had asked all bar owners to engage female security guards and/or bouncers but very few have managed to follow the directive as women bouncers are hard to find.

“Soon after the directive, we contacted some private security agencies but they told us that women here are not willing to take up the job. Besides, it is difficult to find women bouncers for a bar,” a bar owner at Zoo Road told this correspondent.

Kamrup (metro) deputy commissioner Ashutosh Agnihotri, on July 16, issued a statement directing all liquor bars to engage women security guards or bouncers to avoid any “untoward” incident created by female customers.

The directive was issued after a girl was molested by a mob soon after she came out of Club Mint bar in Christanbasti. Sources said the bar owners had complained that some women customers visiting city bars often created trouble and even resorted to manhandling bar tenders or waiters.

There are 128 licensed bars in the city and the district administration has asked all bar owners to improve security after the GS Road incident that drew national and international attention.

Agnihotri today said the district administration would soon review to find out if its July 16 directives were being followed by bar owners or not. Private security agencies said there was dearth of female security guards in the city.

“At present, we have around 150 security guards engaged in different establishments, including bars and discotheques but we have only 10 women. Women candidates here are always hesitant to take up the job of a security guard,” Monuwar Islam, supervisor of a private security agency at Zoo Road, said.

Usually security guards are provided training by former servicemen on how to stand and welcome guests, basic etiquettes, besides security and fire-fighting drills.

For the job of a bouncer, a male candidate must be at least six feet tall and weigh 70kg. A woman bouncer has to be between 5.5 and 6 feet tall and weigh between 60 and 65kg.

Many residents, however, demanded that the district administration should be strict to ensure that its directives are followed as women’s footfall in the city’s bars and discotheques is increasing.