Bangalore:
Mayhem marred the opening of a new pub, touted to be the highest in Bangalore as it ended in a near-stampede situation.
The SkyYe bar at the UB City officially opened to public on Saturday night with over 1,000 people who stopped by to have a first dekko at the swanky pub located on the 16th floor. But like all good things, this one didn't last too long either.
Late entrants who dropped in close to 10.45 pm were greeted by shouting, abusing and pushing. They tried to jostle in through a group of 25 people who were already trying to get in, but in vain. Bouncers shut the lift and closed the door, but people persisted for almost 20 minutes, and finally succeeded.
Others who complained of manhandling were prominent city socialites such as Kannada filmstars, event manager Zubair Ahmed, entrepreneur Poornima and other prominent faces. Zubair said, "It was full of wannabe 18-year-olds. I was invited by a friend who was celebrating his birthday and was on the guest list, but the bouncers didn't let me in."
One of the partners of SkyYe bar, Nirmala Balakrishnan said," There were unanticipated numbers, even though we had a cover charge of Rs 2,500 per couple and the same for single men. Later in the night, we even increased the entry charge to Rs 5,000 for single men and people still kept trickling in."