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CP orders probe into late night youth gathering near Kalyani Nagar pub
The CP reiterated that strict orders have been issued for surveillance of hotels, restaurants, pubs and other such establishments, and that any establishment found operating beyond the mandated 1.30 am closing time will face severe repercussions
Despite the Pune police having imposed section 144 restrictions on pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels in the city following a raid in the Kurkumbh MIDC area in which drugs worth an estimated ₹3,700 crore were seized; a sizeable gathering of youth was allegedly seen near the Elrow Pub in Kalyani Nagar till the early hours of Sunday. After multiple videos of this congregation went viral on social media platforms, police commissioner Amitesh Kumar initiated a probe into the incident. The CP reiterated that strict orders have been issued for surveillance of hotels, restaurants, pubs and other such establishments, and that any establishment found operating beyond the mandated 1.30 am closing time will face severe repercussions.
Santosh Patil, senior police inspector at Yerawada police station, said, “This gathering is not related to pubs and restaurants. In fact, there are hundreds of IT companies operating in Cerebrum IT Park. The shift of these IT employees changes at 2 am due to which we can see a daily crowd in that particular area.’’
“Following the complaint, our officers rushed to the Elrow Pub by around 2 am only to find it closed,” Patil said.
However, Kalyani Nagar residents refused the claim made by the police. They said that pubs, bars and restaurants in their area are routinely seen violating section 144 restrictions.
Sangita Tiwai, vice-president (VP), Maharashtra Pradesh Mahila Congress, and resident of Kalyani Nagar, said, “Just today, I approached the CP and requested him to take action. It is not true that this gathering is related to IT company employees. In fact, many illegal things go on after 2 am in the Kalyani Nagar area. Many pubs and bars operate beyond 1.30 am but the police ignore them.”
The Pune police have imposed section 144 restrictions on pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels across the city following the raid in the Kurkumbh MIDC area conducted under the leadership of CP Kumar in which a clandestine MD manufacturing facility was uncovered and drugs worth an estimated ₹3,700 crore were seized. The operation targeted the supply chain of narcotics across various cities in the country. It is suspected that these drugs are extensively used in parties, including those hosted at pubs. According to the police order, pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels have to shut operations by 1.30 am. However, the videos that went viral on social media indicated that the gathering near Elrow Pub continued till 3 am and beyond.
