Pub hosts party for underage drinkers, raided

Barely a week after the co-owner of a pub in Sahara Mall was booked for assaulting his security manager; the mall is in the eye of a storm yet again.

A team comprising officials from Gurgaon police and Excise and Taxation department conducted a raid at Prism a resto-bar in Sahara Mall on MG Road and found 89 customers below 25 years.

What was more shocking was the fact that close to 65 of these underage drinkers were teenagers from various public schools in the city.

The incident came to light when Col Kanwar Pratap Singh, president of Haryana Provinces School Conference, Gurgaon Chapter, called up police commissioner S S Deswal and said that the bar was flouting norms by organizing programmes for school children between 12 and 4 pm on Saturday.

We had information that pubs and bars had been attracting school children. So I sent the message across to respective schools and also to the police, confirmed Col Singh, who assured that the children were not at fault in such an incident and hence no schools will initiate any action against any student.

The Excise department has issued a challan against the pub under the Punjab Excise Act. None of the defaulting bar owners, however, has been arrested so far.

We have decided to write to the department, requesting them to ensure that all pubs/bars and even the roadside wine shops are closed by midnight like in Delhi. By not doing so, we unnecessarily create a law and order problem since people come into Gurgaon from

Delhi to buy liquor, explained Deswal.

However, when asked why no arrests were made, the police chief said any violation of norms specified in the license (issued by the Excise and Taxation department) is not a criminal offence and hence the local police have no role to play.

We book cases or make arrests in cases where there arises a law and order situation.

The Gurgaon police, meanwhile, have given a warning to the underage visitors and let all of them go.

When contacted, the pub officials maintained that they did not serve any liquor to school students. The bar has remained closed since the time of raid.