MUMBAI: A young couple has lodged a police complaint against two staffers of a nightclub in Juhu, stating that the employees had denied them entry into the establishment early on Sunday, ‘because they were Indians’. One of the accused is a foreigner. The nightclub has, however, denied making any discrimination.

The couple—Jennifer Chavan and her fiancé Shanu Mallik, an event management executive who was celebrating his birthday—reached Trilogy located at Hotel Sea Princess on Juhu Tara Road around 2.30am.

Chavan told TOI that they had thought of celebrating the birthday at Trilogy with a cousin and a few friends who were to join them.

Mallik said that the door hostess, a foreigner, asked them to stop. “She said that we couldn’t enter the pub because we were Indians. We found that ridiculous.”

The couple approached another staffer but he directed them back to the door hostess, saying that she was in charge. “When I asked why were we being denied entry, it led to an argument. I questioned how they could operate a nightclub in India and not allow Indians to enter,” said Mallik.

He added that they approached a few policemen who were around at that time. “A journalist was right behind us, and the door hostess told him that Indians were not desired in the nightclub as they did not fit in,” said Mallik.

The nightclub’s operational manager, Cedric Dickson, said, “We have a fixed guest list. Those who are not on the list are allowed inside provided they come in early. But, as soon as the place fills up, we let in only those whose names are on the guest list. A majority of our guests are Indians and only about 5% are foreign nationals so there is no question of discriminating on those grounds.”

Dickson said that Mallik had given him the reference of an excise officer. “But Mallik’s name did not figure on the guest list given by the excise officer,” he said. “The couple was polite and Chavan requested that it was her fiancé’s birthday but we genuinely could not accommodate them. I also told the couple that the nightclub would start shutting down in 15 minutes as we have a licence to stay open only till 3am. Soon after, the couple dialled ‘100’, following which 15 to 20 cops landed up at the premises.”

A complaint has been lodged at Santacruz police station against the door hostess and the other employee under the Protection of Civil Rights Act. The police, who will make inquiries with the two staffers and also check their antecedents, will examine footage of cameras installed at the nightclub.