Bangalore:
On Saturday in Bangalore, 12 women bartenders stepping out after work were kidnapped by gangsters for ransom.
They were rescued in a four-hour police chase, but the episode has laid bare how vulnerable female bartenders - or for that matter, women who work late into the night - are.
"Bars that employ women bartenders charge very high rates for the liquor they serve. Anti-social elements see this as an opportunity, and we find it tough to keep a night vigil on all these restaurants," explains Bangalore Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari.
The Excise Act of Karnataka prohibits women from working in places that serve alcohol. But last year, the Supreme Court upheld the right of women to work in bars and pubs.
"The girls come to work and go back together, keeping police guidelines in mind. It hasn't happened before and won't again. Usually, security guards accompany the girls, but they were on leave that day," says Sanjay Kochar, President of Bangalore's Live Band Association.
"What will we do if we are not allowed to work here? As it is, it's difficult for us to find jobs anywhere else," laments Naina, a bartender herself.
And so it's become a rather extreme debate - security of women employees versus their right to livelihood. The question is, why can't law keepers ensure a safe city at night? And why can't employers ensure women's safety, at least at the workplace?