For a city that supposedly never sleeps, Mumbai’s buzzing nightlife has come to a screeching halt.  The reason? Recent police activity aimed at restaurants, bars and clubs.  Well-publicized examples of police action include a “rave” bust in the Juhu suburb, raids on restaurants like Cafe Zoe in Parel, Shiro in Worli, Masala Curry in Andheri, on pubs like Madness in Khar, Royalty, Rehab and Hawaiian Shack in Bandra, and on clubs like Trilogy in Santa Cruz.  Invoking laws and rules drafted decades ago, most unfamiliar to both proprietors and the public, the city police, led by Additional Commissioner Vasant Dhoble, have been accused of terrorizing residents, some going so far as to dub it the “Talibanization” of Mumbai. Citizens have turned to social media, traditional media and organized rallies to protest. The Facebook group “SOS: Mumbai’s nightlife” has more than 7,800 members, and an online petition lobbying for a judicial inquiry into the police raids, by the community organizers Avaaz, is doing the Internet rounds.  Ordinary citizens appear to be flabbergasted at being on the wrong side of the law.  A 22-year-old male model who attended a now infamous hotel party in Juhu, a north Mumbai suburb, and wished not to be identified because of the subsequent legal case, recalled, “There was no rave, it was a normal party.” About 20 uniformed police officers arrived, shut off the music and announced that they had information that there were drugs at the party.  The model said that after an hour, when the police had not found evidence of drugs, one officer announced that he had found 100 grams, or almost a quarter of a pound, of cocaine on a sofa. Because of this, the police said they had to escort everyone to a local hospital to obtain blood samples. Party goers waited an hour before leaving for the hospital, the model said. He believes this is because the police were calling the press. “When we finally left, the press was waiting outside, taking our photos,” he said.  The press was also waiting outside Cooper Hospital, where the men were taken, he said. “Cooper Hospital didn’t even have needles to take our blood samples,” he said. “When they finally did, they punctured my vein so badly I had a blood clot for two weeks.” After the hospital, the partygoers went to the police precinct to record their statements in Marathi, and they weren’t released until morning. “You can’t treat people like this. Are we living in the 21st century?,” he asked.  The Mumbai police recently released the blood test results, which they say indicate that 44 people tested positive out of the 96 detained. The model said that he believes the results to be doctored. “I did not have drugs at that party,” he said.  Private homes are also being targeted. Alison Wodham, who produces and directs fashion shows, said her 22-year-old son, Ronit Kanuga, was home alone when the police turned up at their door. Mr. Kanuga said 10 of his friends had come home after a night out, but had left soon after, and that no music had been played. Soon after they left, two police officers rang the doorbell, saying they had received a complaint. Mr. Kanuga denied the existence of a party, but the police apparently insisted on charging him since they had received a complaint.  When another four police officers then turned up, they attempted to enter the home to search it. According to Mr. Kanuga, one of the police officers at his doorstep told him, “After this Juhu rave, you have to be careful. You can’t have girls over after 12 o’clock.” Mr. Kanuga said that when he refused to let the police enter, they asked him to come to the local precinct. When he refused, the police asked him to pay half of the normal fine for such complaints, about 6,000 rupees, or around $108. They finally agreed to 3,000 rupees and left, he said.  When his mother, Ms. Wodham, heard about it the next morning (she had been asleep), she complained at the local precinct, even though she said the police had tried to dissuade her. She enlisted the local news media to write about her case, and the police have suspended one of the officers. Mr. Kanuga said that after the incident he and his friends, regular clubgoers, have stopped going out.  While many are complaining about the drive, it also has plenty of supporters among citizens and officials. The Mumbai High Court issued an order supporting it, and the state administration said it will allow the police to continue clamping down on illegalities. Twitter supporters are also out in full force.  Jayanta Bhattacharya, on Twitter as @goldenarcher, wrote “Go ACP Dhoble, GO! Crack down hard on the budding crims and their backers. At least, I’m with ya.”  The problem seems to be the law itself. Some vexing rules include requiring a permit room (for drinking) to be separate from dining, limiting numbers to 166 people per 1,000 square feet, or about 90 square meters, and requiring the providing of parking in a city that has virtually none. Licenses required to operate a nightclub/restaurant/bar are also convoluted. A D.J. license allows you to have a D.J. but no dancing, while a Disco license limits you to just 10 couples on a dance floor. An Orchestra license lets you have a live act but no dancing.  Many proprietors believe that things will not change until rules evolve to reflect more pragmatism.  Individual drinkers must possess a valid drinking permit. Most people appear to have been unaware of this rule.  Because of the crackdown, several bars and nightclubs have begun issuing one-time permits for guests upon entry. Fazal Sheikh, the manager of a bar located in Bandra, said, “It is the law that everyone needs to carry a liquor license on them, so if our guests are not carrying one with them then we supply them with a one-time license.” Clubs like the Bombay Gymkhana also help their members navigate the red tape. Rahul Vora, the cashier at the Bombay Gymkhana, said that they provide information regarding liquor permits and applications for individual permits. “It is compulsory to have the permit, so we try and make it easier for our guests by getting them all the information.”  In the meantime, Mumbai nightlife is suffering.  According to Raman Macker, a director at Dish Hospitality, which owns popular nightspots like Aurus in Juhu, and Sancho’s restaurant in Bandra, “The environment has become so scary that people are just refusing to go anywhere.” His business at Aurus is down by 50 percent, he estimated.  Rahul Akerkar, who owns Indigo and Tote, agreed, citing a 30-percent drop in the bar business at Tote.  As Mr. Macker said, “The laws have to evolve in the licensing of restaurants, right now there is too much gray.”  Neha Thirani contributed reporting from Mumbai.
A recent crackdown on bars and clubs has citizens roiled and is hurting profits at local businesses, critics say.