Under the World

Police in trance

Mumbai police have already been accused of ‘moral policing’ by a section of Mumbaikars after the recent crackdown on ‘immoral activities’ at popular bars and restaurants. It now appears that they also have an opinion on the nature of music played at parties. At a press conference to announce the progress in the probe into a ‘rave party’,busted on May 20 at Oakwood hotel in Juhu,the test results of blood and urine samples taken from the party guests were disclosed. The police commissioner read out from a detailed report on those who had consumed cannabis,MDMA or alcohol at the party. However,journalists were left flummoxed when it was also grimly announced that the police had ‘analysed’ 4,000 DJ tracks seized from the party and found that 95 per cent of it was trance music. The thought of policemen splitting hairs over thousands of trance music tracks prompted muffled laughter from some but there was no explanation on what bearing the pointless exercise had on the case.

The language divide

Shiv Sena,known for its protectionist attitude towards Marathi,had passed a rule in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (where it is in power) to carry out all official work only in that language. However,former Sena MLAs Anil Parab and Vinayak Raut do not seem to take this sentiment seriously,as both of them filed affidavits for the upcoming MLC elections in English. While all three NCP candidates and one of the three Congress candidates filed their affidavits in Marathi,Parab and Raut surprisingly stuck to English.

Vanity in uniform

Vanity diaries of crime busters make for interesting conversation. So it turns out,an IPS officer from Mumbai’s western suburbs goes for regular facials and bleaches every time he goes on a raid. With media cameras capturing every detail during such publicised raids,nothing can be left to chance,not even a well scrubbed face. In a recent interaction,the officer even shared his favourite cosmetic item: MAC compact. Another moustachioed IPS officer with a brawny physique is known to adhere to a strict dress routine. The officer is yet to repeat a shirt at any of his press conferences,and is never seen in a plain shirt outside his cabin. So if spotted in checks or stripes,the news is expected to be big. There are also instances of some of the most high-profile IPS officers wearing coloured lip-gloss for television debates. One such officer even has a penchant for flavoured tangy orange lip gel. A top cop,known for his no-nonsense attitude,goes weak when it comes to talking before a camera. He is known to keep four different styles of combs and matching hair gels in his office drawer,right next to his service gun. Another officer uses hand sanitizers every time he entertains male guests. When asked why not with women guests,he sweetly answered,“They are expected to be well groomed.”

The Satara experience

It is generally believed that Prithviraj Chavan is an honest chief minister. The recent real estate-related scams in the state have left him extra careful. It is learnt that a leading industrialist’s family member,and a friend of Chavan,had a modest plot of land measuring a couple of acres in Satara on which land use allowed only construction of a town hall. The industrialist’s family was,however,keen to build a residence and sought the CM’s help and Chavan did ask the department concerned to examine the request. The department sent its officers for a recce only to find out that the plot was located in a prime area near the Municipal Commissioner’s office and a change in land use would lead to an outcry. When this was pointed out to the CM,he promptly asked the department to refrain from giving any permission. Chavan perhaps believes that if you are a CM’s friend,you will understand.