Moral police hit Pune nightlife

On Monday, in a repeat of actions by Shiv Sena, NCP workers turned vigilantes as they stormed into a pub, broke window panes, damaged furniture and walked away.

Police Commissioner D.N. Jadhav said all police stations were alerted to take action on hotels, pubs and even roadside stalls to ensure they do not violate the time limit.

Yogesh Pingale, general secretary of NCP’s youth wing, said party workers entered two pubs and evicted the crowd after 12.30 am. ‘‘All of them were drunk. Many did not have driving licences or ID cards to prove their age,’’ claimed Pingale. ‘‘This is very important as youth below 18 are not allowed in pubs. We also found many foreign citizens there.’’

That’s not surprising because Pune has a large population of international students and executives from the spiralling number of Indian and multinational companies. The moral policing, many shocked executives said, is a setback to its cosmopolitan image.

Pingale had sent a letter to Jadhav on May 2 informing him that the pubs were kept open on May 1, a dry day, which is not allowed under Bombay Police Act. Copies of the letter were sent to CM Vilasrao Deshmukh and Deputy CM Patil. In his letter, Pingale demanded stern action against the pubs.

DCP (Zone II) Vitthal Jadhav said: ‘‘A nakabandi was imposed at eight points in the zone on Saturday night after receiving the letter.’’ But he insisted pub-owners voluntarily closed down after 12.30 am. ‘‘There was no use of force by anybody.’’

Pingale acknowledged the violence and claimed he had videographed the incident and would submit the evidence to the police.

A largely ignored government circular issued in 1999 says restaurants in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane must shut by 1.30 am, while the deadline for the rest of Maharashtra is 12.30 am.