Faridabad party venue serving hookah raided, 26 held

Police said that the people were found smoking flavoured tobacco, which is banned, and drinking liquor on the premises, which did not have a licence to serve alcohol. Officials sent the liquid flavours and hookahs to a laboratory for testing, police said

The chief minister’s flying squad and Faridabad police on Monday night raided the basement of a restaurant in Sector 86, where a party was in progress, and arrested 26 people, including eight women, for allegedly serving and consuming hookah.

Police and excise officers said they have been receiving complaints about hookah dens over the past few days from Sector 86. (Representative image)

Police said that the people were found smoking flavoured tobacco, which is banned, and drinking liquor on the premises, which did not have a licence to serve alcohol. Officials sent the liquid flavours and hookahs to a laboratory for testing, police said.

Police also registered a case under sections 4 and 6 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act and Section 72C of the Punjab Excise Act, 1914, against the owner and organisers of the party at Faridabad’s Kheripul police station on Monday. Police said that hookahs, earlier served with tobacco molasses at bars, were banned by the Punjab and Haryana high court in 2016. The Gurugram administration enforced Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to ban hookah bars in the district in February 2017 with the aim of making the region nicotine-free.

However, police and excise officers said they have been receiving complaints about hookah dens over the past few days from Sector 86, and formed a special police team to raid the areas they received the complaints from.

Rajesh Kumar, deputy superintendent of police (DSP), CM’s flying squad, said 26 people were found partying in the basement on Monday night, adding the organiser had advertised the space on social media inviting bookings. “There was a birthday party organised for 26 people, who were all from Delhi and Faridabad. The organiser had bought liquor and flavoured hookah and was serving them at the time of the raid,” he said.

Kumar said that there are a few places where hookahs are served and the organisers advertise them on social media in Faridabad. “We have formed teams and are conducting surprise checks across the city to find people operating such venues illegally,” he said.

Police said that the owner and organisers were arrested were bailed out on Tuesday. “We have informed excise officials regarding them serving liquor without an excise licence,” said DSP Kumar.