300 partygoers detained in Pune, outrage over cops' high-handedness

Pune: For over 300 young students and professionals, Saturday night partying turned out to be a nightmare. Just after midnight, the police barged into the Maya Bar and Lounge on the outskirts of Pune, ironically owned by the wife of an Anti-Terror Squad officer.

The cops went on to rough up everyone in sight, and subjected them all to a blood test. Not only were the partygoers detained for 11 hours, they have also been charged with indecent behaviour.

"I had gone to the bar with my friends to celebrate my birthday... I was pushed by a male constable and then slapped by a woman constable," says a young girl.

Angry and humiliated, they will now go to the National Human Rights Commission. "It's moral policing by the cops... they can't do anything else... so target these boys...we will go the NHRC against the police," said Tehseen Poonawala, an entrepreneur from Pune.

The organisers of the party had paid Rs 8000 for a liquor permit till 11 pm. The police, however, says it was only an eyewash. They also said the raid was conducted after locals complained about loud music and indecent behaviour exhibited by the partygoers every night. They seized liquor worth Rs. 10 lakh from the lounge.

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The question many are asking now is, why punish partygoers for the organisers' fault? And if the police were targeting underage drinking, then why did they not conduct a breath analyser test instead of putting everybody through a blood test?

"This place was running totally illegally as their eating licence had also expired... the pub was also running illegally. Its immaterial who runs the place... if it's illegal, we take action," said Manoj lohiya, Superintendent of Police, Pune (Rural).

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The police say that the restaurant had clearly violated the prescribed party norms, serving liquor well beyond limit, but youngsters are asking why were they harassed for somebody else's fault?