Candlelight protest on Saturday to protest assault at CyberHub pub

Around 8-10 bouncers rained blows on the youths, including an NRI, on Monday night. They were treated for serious injuries. A case was registered at the DLF Phase II police station and two pub employees were later arrested in connection with the incident.

A candlelight march will be held on Saturday evening to protest against the violence that broke out at The Wine Company, a popular watering hole in CyberHub, on Monday night. Fellow pub-hoppers and friends of four youths, who were beaten up after a dispute over payment turned ugly, are expected to fetch up in numbers to register their protest and pledge support to the victims.

Two of the four persons who were attacked by bouncers of The Wine Company.

Around 8-10 bouncers rained blows on the youths, including an NRI, on Monday night. They were treated for serious injuries. A case was registered at the DLF Phase II police station and two pub employees were later arrested in connection with the incident.

The incident evoked outrage on social media. Suyansh Jalan, who announced the event on Facebook, said that the march will be taken out at CyberHub at 5.30 pm. “We will assemble at CyberHub and hold a silent candle light protest to vent our outrage over the manner in which they (the youths) were assaulted. Although the police are doing their job, we wish to send out a clear message that such incidents can’t be condoned. The pub’s management needs to understand the fear and concern of not just the victims but all those who are going to walk the rally on Monday,” Jalan said.

The organisers, who invited fellow netizens and aggrieved locals to come out and register their protest, said they were also not happy over the manner in which some vested interests, including certain web portals, tried to put another spin to the story. “We are not going to be cowed down by such incidents. The response, since the event was flagged on Facebook, has been very encouraging and I am sure the protest will attract a large number of people. A strong message needs to be sent out and that’s what we intend to do,” Nikhil Agarwal, a cousin of Vishal Agarwal, one of the victims, said.

He said while the police are acting against the staff and those in the lower rungs of the management, there is a need to send out a strong message to liquor traders and business owners who are setting the wrong precedent by condoning such actions.

A spokesperson of The Wine Company said she was not aware of any candle light march being organised on Saturday.

On Thursday, the pub’s management put out a statement saying, “It was our manager who called the police as soon as the guests left the pub. We filed a complaint against them. CCTV footage, both inside and outside the pub, clearly bears out the fact that the customers physically assaulted our staff and in their drunken stupor picked up a brawl outside the restaurant premises with passers-by. We apologize to any patrons if our staff was rude, but we also request them to respect our service staff.”