Mumbai (PTI): Notwithstanding the glamour quotient brought about in the ongoing IPL cricket matches by the cheerleaders, the Maharashtra government on Thursday said it will not allow the specially hired girls to go on with their "vulgar and obscene" performance during the April 27 league match at Navi Mumbai.

Talking to reporters here, Minister of State for Home Siddharam Mhetre described the cheerleaders and their dancing at the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches as "absolutely obscene".

"We live in India where womanhood is worshipped. How can anything obscene like this can be allowed?" he asked. Mhetyre wondered why the organisers require "semi- nude" women to entertain people at cricket matches.

"The organisers may have invested crores of rupees organising such matches. But this does not mean that they make semi-nude women dance in front of people," he said.

Mhetre suggested organisers can use animated characters when players hit boundaries and six or anybody gets out without scoring.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, however, did not find anything vulgar about cheerleaders.

"What's wrong with cheerleaders? I am also a family person, I do not see anything negative in it," the actor, who owns the Kolkata Knight Riders, said.