Policemen come to our premises almost every day, click photos and make videos. No customer likes to sit in such an atmosphere. Our footfall has gone down drastically since the police crackdown.
Tribune News Service
Panchkula, August 11
After the police tightened the noose on hookah bars following strict instructions from the state Home Minister Anil Vij, several owners of bars, clubs and restaurants today alleged ‘harassment’ by the police.
“In the name of acting tough against offenders, we are being harassed,’’ their association said at a press conference.
Policemen come to our premises almost every day, click photos and make videos. No customer likes to sit in such an atmosphere. Our footfall has gone down drastically since the police crackdown.
“Frequent raids by the local police on the premises owned by us have drastically affected our businesses which had already been running in losses due to the Covid-induced lockdown,” they said.
“Raids scare customers away from us, while those operating in Chandigarh are reaping benefits,” says Gurkirtan, owner of the Coco cafe in Sector 11 whose property was raided in July by the CM’s flying squad post-midnight.
Members of the association also accused Youth Congress leader Deepanshu Bansal of “misguiding the authorities and the minister.”
“Some Congress leaders, too, have been operating hookah bars. It’s a trick by them to grow their own business and ruin ours,” Amit Verma, Manil Mongia and Nikhil, chief spokespersons for the association.
They added that Bansal struck off the name of a cafe-cum-bar owned by a Congress councillor from a list that he submitted to the Home Minister.
Meanwhile, Bansal rubbished the allegations levelled against him, terming them baseless. “I have no personal animosity against anyone. I have been fighting for the issue for the past three years,” he said.
The association members also brought to the press conference their employees who “suffered personal losses due to a decline in sales.”
“The hookah that is offered to the customers is a flavoured one. It does not contain any nicotine. There are no restrictions on the sale of flavoured hookah and the hookah bar owners also have an order from the court regarding the serving of flavoured hookah,” added Mongia.
The members said they were planning to form a committee which will meet Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Home Minister Anil Vij and Haryana Speaker Gian Chand Gupta.
The Chief Minister’s flying squad on July 19 conducted raids on two hookah bars, Coco cafe and Purple Frog, and found them violating Covid norms.