The Cyberabad Police on Monday, December 25, clarified that there is no permission for the Sunburn music festival on New Year’s Eve in Hyderabad even as the online sale of tickets for the event continued on BookMyShow. Cyberabad Police Commissioner Avinash Mohanty clarified that permission has not been granted for the event. The announcement comes a day after Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy directed Commissioner Avinash to inquire into the alleged sale of tickets by BookMyShow for the Sunburn music festival.
The Commissioner said that the organisers applied for permission but the police have not granted it, as it is not like the Sunburn events held in other cities. Arrangements were made for the event near HITEC City, the information technology hub in Madhapur under the limits of Cyberabad Police Commissionerate. Though the Police Commissioner said that permission was not given for the event, the sale of tickets was continuing on BookMyShow for the event planned on the night of December 31.
The Chief Minister during a conference with district Collectors and Superintendents of Police (SPs) on December 24 directed the Police Commissioner to inquire into the sale of tickets for the event. He wanted to know if permission was given and when informed that it wasn’t, he asked the police chief to inquire into the sale of tickets. He mentioned that states like Goa, Maharashtra, and Karnataka have cancelled Sunburn events on various occasions. In Goa, Sunburn will not be allowed to continue till December 31 this year due to opposition from local residents about traffic congestion and other issues. A Sunburn event in Bengaluru was cancelled back in 2017, with authorities citing law and order concerns. Pune in 2016 saw demands from right-wing groups to cancel a Sunburn event, claiming that it attacks Indian culture and encourages drug use.
Revanth Reddy spoke about the vent while giving directions to collectors and SPs to curb drug use in the state with an iron hand. The officials were asked to keep a tight vigil on the events on New Year’s Eve to ensure that drugs are not consumed at such parties. He directed officials not to treat the events on New Year's Eve as revenue earners. He said that such events are spreading destructive culture and spoiling the careers of youth.
The Chief Minister also asked the officials to ensure that children below 18 years are not allowed at such events. Similarly, those who did not attain the age of 21 years shall not be served liquor anywhere, he said. Reiterating his resolve to make Telangana drugs-free, the Chief Minister asked officials to come down heavily on all those places promoting the use of drugs. "We saw how Punjab collapsed due to the drug menace and Telangana state is moving fast in that direction," he claimed, and told police officials that they have a responsibility to curb the menace.
(With IANS inputs)