Voices

Activist,writer and mother of two

The raid is justified if they are serving illegal substances at the party but if the cops are doing this to harass people its ridiculous. The sheer fact that they are conducting so many raids is a sign that they are clamping down on our freedom. Of course doing illegal things is wrong but prosecuting people for enjoying,is not right. At this rate,people will just stop going to parties,which would be very sad.

Deepdutt Rakshit

Working professional

What is the problem with youngsters staying out till late just to have a nice time. Pune is a young city,and we do want to go out and have fun on weekends just to unwind from all the work pressure. I am not against what precautions the police needs to take but I demand that they do so in an appropriate manner. A person who visits a lounge or a club is not aware whether the club owner has all the permits in place,it is up to the club owners to adhere to all the rules so that the guests are not harassed. I was at Area 51 last night and the party was over by 11 pm. I hope we have a proper set of reasonable rules put forth by the police.

Kumar Pradeep

Operations Manager,Wipro

I think there are a lot more serious issues than this that needs to be dealt with. Of course a rave party would be totally illegal and that needs to be dealt with firmly but just targeting a certain section of society that can afford to spend or even places that are popular party hangouts is wrong. These places are meant to be party destinations.

Mruga Kirolskar

Image consultant

I think the rules need to be made clear. Party-goers cannot be penalised for the mistakes of the organisers. We are a democratic country and no one can tell us what we can or cannot do in our recreational time. This sudden streak of retrogrademoral policing is ridiculous. If anyone should be penalised,it is the venue operators and organisers who don’t bother about licences or time limits. The responsibility for such busts does change case to case but no one can tell people not to party.

Madhavi Kapoor

Trustee,Aman Setu

As consumers,it is important that we possess liquor permit while consuming liquor. In the last few incidences,invitations for the parties that were busted,were sent through social media. One must be careful while attending such parties and must be clear about the purpose and activities that would be going on there.

Advocate Shivraj Kadam

Vice-President,Pune Bar Association

Police should not have arrested people and treated them like criminals. I have heard that Maya is a registered club and all the alcohol is cleared with octroi and everything goes by the government rules. Me and my friends often go clubbing there but thankfully we never experienced anything like this. I feel that it is the responsibility of the club owners to make sure that their guests are safe.

Akhil Warrier

M. Com student,Indira College

It’s very cruel of the police to do something like that. People went there to relax. They were not doing anything wrong. People who were above 21 were drinking,and that’s what you do at a party. If the owners of the club didn’t have permits or there was an issue with the police,why would the guests be humiliated and arrested? The police must lay down a set of rules and implement it.

Abhir Agarwal

B. Com,Ness Wadia College of Commerce

I don’t think the blame can be squarely placed on the cops or the party-goers. We are responsible for situations like these. Organisers especially need to follow rules and watch their permits and time limits. The youth needs to be a little more careful too; they need to be self-disciplined and make informed choices.

Surekha Bhasin

Corporate and educational trainer and mother of two

In a way the police are right to raid parties where they feel something illegal is going. But that should not be a trend. If they raid a party,they must do it without harassing people. Tomorrow I might want to go out partying to celebrate a friend’s birthday,but that doesn’t mean I am doing drugs. Spending one night in a jail till the blood test reports are verified is a traumatic event for simple people like us,it would leave a scar on our lives. Everyone who goes out partying is not bad.

Shweta Dolli

Model

All necessary disciplinary action must be taken in a proper way.

Police should have let the guests off with a warning,or at least let the girls go. People I know who were at that party told me that they were

harassed. What happened at Maya has put fear in the minds of people,and this will affect nightlife in a big way. It is really uncalled for and

unnecessary. Every club has a entry fee and an age limit,so there are

no kids at these places. People come in to have fun and there is no reason to put restrictions on that or treat them like criminals if they were drinking responsibly.

Abhishek Mantri

DJ

None cane be blamed here. When people go clubbing,they don’t research as to whether the club has a licence or not. If it is open and the crowd is decent,they will head to the venue to have a good time. This raid teaches us all a lesson to take care of ourselves. One needs to always carry a drinking licence. You can get a daily licence for just ten rupees or also apply for a lifetime license. Also keep an identity and age proof with you at all time.

Vinay Pawar

Owner,Destiny of Sounds,event management company