MAPUSA
Succumbing to a backlash on social media, Calangute Panchayat “shut down” the Kama Gizmos sex toy and wellness product store in the coastal village.
Staff belonging to the Calangute panchayat removed the signboards with the name of the store late Tuesday evening.
Calangute Sarpanch Dinesh Simepurushkar informed that the store was being run without the permission of the panchayat.
“The store owner has not obtained the mandatory trade licence to run a business from the panchayat. We have asked the owner to close the shop and to come to the panchayat with all his legal documents,” Simepurushkar said.
He said the panchayat took action against the store based on an oral complaint.
“We received a complaint on the phone. Also, the news about the store had gone viral on social media,” he said.
Calangute Panchayat Secretary Raghuvir Bagkar also confirmed that the store has been locked, but wasn’t sure if the panchayat had issued permission to the store.
“Actually, I don’t know. I will have to check now…,” said Bagkar, cutting the conversation abruptly when asked whether the owner had any permission to operate the store.
Kama Gizmos, a sex toy and wellness product store was set up at Naika-Vaddo in Calangute on February 14 and was said to be the first legal sex toy cum wellness products store, according to vice.com.
