Bars across Indore are bustling every evening, but with no clear way to tell the legal establishments from the illegal, many patrons are ending up on the wrong side of the law.
Several drinkers have found themselves in trouble during recent raids by joint police and excise teams at roadside dhabas and unlicensed outlets quietly serving alcohol without proper FL-2 licences. Most say they had no idea the place was illegal.
Indore currently has over 100 FL-2 licensed bars — the official permit needed to serve foreign liquor alongside food and entertainment. These bars operate legally, often featuring music, dance spaces, and sit-down meals. But many illegal establishments now copy this format with little to no oversight.
In theory, FL-2 bars are meant to display clear signboards identifying themselves. But in practice, these boards often omit crucial details — the licence number, the issuing location, and the year of operation. This leaves customers guessing.
The ambiguity is being used as cover by many roadside eateries, hotels, and local joints that erect generic boards marked “Bar” and quietly serve alcohol. Customers walking in assume they are in a government-recognised establishment.
The risk is not merely financial or reputational. In case of a raid, those caught drinking at such outlets can be booked under excise violations, despite having no knowledge of the bar’s illegal status.
Across Madhya Pradesh, around 400 licensed bars operate in 55 districts and 10 divisions. Major cities like Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, and Jabalpur account for the majority. But unlicensed bars continue to sprout in semi-urban fringes and village peripheries.
Residents are now urging the government to make it mandatory for every bar signboard to clearly display the licence number, location, and year of operation — a simple measure that could prevent many from being misled.
When contacted by The Pioneer, Excise Commissioner Abhijit Agrawal confirmed that no such signage rule currently exists, but called the proposal “valuable” and assured it would be taken up for review.