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Bangalore cops play party-poopers

M D Riti in Bangalore

Bangalore's nightlife may become non-existent if the city police have their way. They are forcing restaurants, bars, pubs and even movie theatres to down shutters by 11 pm.

The police rule has been in existence for several years, but the sudden zeal with which it is being enforced has caught most citizens by surprise.

The police claim it is a vital crime prevention measure. "These late night revellers either commit crimes or become victims," a senior police officer told rediff.com on condition of anonymity.

"It's strange logic," said a software engineer. "This is no way to prevent crime." He was turned out of a pub at 10.45 pm. "If crime can be prevented by keeping people off the streets, then why have a police force at all? Are they trying to convert the whole city into one big prison, with lights out at 11 pm?"

But the cops are in no mood to listen. "Why can't people have a good time till 11 pm and then call it a night?" asks B N Nagaraj, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime). "We aren't trying to restrict anybody, but just trying to make this rapidly-growing city safer."

The new initiative comes from Police Commissioner T Madiyal. He set the ball rolling recently by reprimanding an area inspector, when he saw a liquor shop open after 11 pm. Word spread and several establishments had to bear the brunt of police action.

Until now, a pub open after 11 pm would be visited by a couple of constables, belligerently asking the manager to close down quickly. Now, a regular raiding squad swoops down and has the place closed quickly and unpleasantly. If the place is open again after hours, its owner or manager as well as customers are hauled off to a police station.

Even small roadside paan shops are not exempted. A paan-seller on Brigade Road said the police had warned him twice. The third time he was dumped in a police van and taken off. When Madiyal spotted Empire Hotel, off M G Road, full of people after 11 pm, he reportedly chastised the area police officers.

Weekend revellers too are not spared. Early Sunday, police squads raided discotheques like the Entertainment Terminal Club on Residency Road and Blue Diamond Recreation Club nearby, arrested the staff for serving liquor after hours and even picked up a few customers.

All this has not gone down well with citizens. "I want to organise a major party for clients and friends, but I am unable because of the police," says Santosh Kumar, an aerobics instructor and trainer. "We would have to go out of city limits and even then my clients may be stopped on their way back."

"We are losing companies to other cities because of poor infrastructure," groans a weary Bangalore Municipal Corporation official. "The main reason for the infotech boom here was that non-resident Indians felt that the weather, culture, lifestyle, schools and housing were great. If an upwardly-mobile young person finds Bangalore a drag, companies wanting to attract such people will obviously shift base. Why can't the police maintain law and order instead of keeping people off the roads?"

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