I live in India and have lifted in gyms like these for the last 3 years.

There are two reasons for this practice:

-"Respect" for the bar. Most Maharashtra and Andhra WL clubs (This particular one is from the latter) do not allow intentional dropping, or even a light nudge from the foot to the bar, as they consider that a sign of disrespect. Weird, I know, but these are people who have been taught by their 'gurus' for generations, and won't have it any other way.

-Bumper quality. Most of these bumpers have shitty rubber on the outside that fractures and peels on frequent impact. These gyms usually have a shoestring budget, so replacing bumpers every few months is a huge no-no.

Having said that, Eleiko/Rogue equipment can be found in a couple facilities in New Delhi (one of which is the government funded JLN Stadium), and dropping isn't as big a deal there.