The last I remember people being terrified of going to pubs in a city was after an incident in Mangaluru, in 2009, when a bunch of Right-wing ‘activists’ barged into a pub, targeting and assaulting women for the age-old ‘moral’ crime of supposedly being ‘against’ Indian traditions.
While we, thankfully, haven’t seen anything like that again, I was reminded of the incident by the Telangana Police’s recent (perhaps overzealous?) antics over their attempts to clamp down on the sale of marijuana and other drugs in Hyderabad.
The police have now started barging into clubs and resto-bars on weekends at night, during peak hours, to collect urine samples from supposed suspects. Yes, you read that right. Over the last few months, on more than one occasion, cops from the Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau stormed a handful of Hyderabad’s swankiest pubs and clubs to do surprise urine tests on people who were suspected of doing drugs.
Theatre of absurd raids
In my entire experience as a journalist (which included covering crime), I have never seen such an overreach by the police, creating such a deep-seated fear among youngsters and party-goers in Hyderabad. It’s as if cops think the city is becoming another Punjab. I wonder if the Punjab police are taking notes and planning to follow suit.
Not only that, a day after the raids, the Telangana police even published all the names of the people in a press release who reportedly tested positive for drugs. While having intel on drugs is one thing, catching hold of clubbers and forcibly testing them has now become the theatre of the absurd in Hyderabad.
I was at one such place a month ago and saw the police catching hold of two foreign nationals, who reluctantly had to undertake urine tests. It’s pretty embarrassing for a city that prides itself on being an up-and-coming international hub.
Moreover, there is the legal question of how the police can demand urine samples in the first place. And what happens if someone says no?
What is worse is that this is all happening in Hyderabad’s HITEC City, the IT hub that the governments have pegged as a global investment centre. The absurdity has hit new heights—every DJ is now being viewed as a drug user or peddler, like the Pied Piper for drug supply in Hyderabad.
Such acts by the police have also left bar/club owners worried about losing business. Ironically, it has also driven up the prices of marijuana in Hyderabad due to the decrease in supply. So, it seems like peddlers now have more money to make, thanks to the Telangana police.
Apart from treating the residents and tourists of the city like criminals, the Anti-Narcotics Bureau has not been able to achieve anything else. So far, no drug bust has been made.
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Brand Hyderabad
Weirdly enough, the police seem convinced that drugs are only a rich man’s vice, since these raids aren’t happening anywhere else in the city. Senior cops I spoke to even believe that drug gangs are trying to get rich people hooked on narcotics.
All of this recent tamasha in Hyderabad can be linked to the current Congress government, headed by Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. Since taking office last year, he has made it clear that wiping out drugs is a top priority. In fact, he has asked the Anti-Narcotics Bureau to ramp up efforts by increasing their manpower.
I suppose more raids are on the cards because one of the senior policemen I spoke to pretty much brushed aside the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government’s efforts to build ‘brand Hyderabad’, claiming they ignored the supposed drug menace. Does it mean that the police were earlier overlooking such a serious issue?
The police official went on to say that the issue of individual privacy being breached is a ‘trade-off’ when it comes to finding drugs or users. I am still wrapping my head around the fact that a senior policeman just casually dismissed our constitutional right to privacy.
Does the police have such weak intel that they have to resort to such means? Telangana is no Haryana when it comes to liquor licences, and nor is it Punjab when it comes to drug usage. The atmosphere of random police action can push back all the progress that Hyderabad has made over the years. I guess the tagline for the city’s new year bash could be ‘this year—party with fear’.
Yunus Lasania is a Hyderabad-based journalist whose work primarily focuses on politics, history and culture. Views are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)
Wow. How insensitive title. Didn’t knew ThePrint was anti Punjab.
The author’s analogy involving another state lacks sufficient understanding of its unique circumstances . Shame on the stereotypical remark!
What does Punjab have to do with Telangana’s drug problem? Why don’t you mention Sikkim with highest Marijuana consumption, Mizoram with highest Opioids consumption, Kerala with highest drug addiction related suicides, Rajasthan with highest amount of Opioids seized in 2023? Can’t find a single drug-related statistic that is topped by Punjab. Stop the slander and learn to give respect if you want respect. But then again, the Telugu states are some of the most illiterate in the country, can’t expect them to have a sound mind.
A bizzare article which tells us more about the wires coming loose in the reporter’s head.
If a youngster or partygoer has not done drugs, why should he/she fear the police? Alcohol is allowed and anyone can consume it in any amount. The issue arises only when someone is into drugs. If the partygoers are not into drugs why should they be afraid of urine sample checks?
Rather, I would appreciate the Hyderabad police for this aggressive attitude towards tackling the drug menace.
Even school children do drugs, hence the war against drugs should be intensified.