Pune pub sends condoms and ORS with invitation to New Year’s party and responds amid outrage

A pub in Pune, Maharashtra, found itself in the middle of a controversy after it allegedly sent condoms and oral rehydration solution (ORS) packets along with invitations to guests at its New Year’s Eve party.

The pub sent a bag of gifts to its regular customers. (Representative image)

The unusual invitation from the ‘High Spirits Café’ has sparked widespread outrage, prompting the police to intervene and record the guests’ statements.

“The pub boss sent out a notice to guests before the party. The notice urged people to wear helmets, stay hydrated and avoid ‘drinking and driving’. This was for safety precautions during New Year’s Eve,” said senior police inspector Nilkanth. Jagtap, at Mundhwa police station, told news agency ANI.

“Along with this notice, the pub management also sent some helmets to their selected guests and a goodie bag which included a packet of condoms. This was sent to around 40 guests who frequent the pub and were expected to attend the New Year party,” Jagtap added.

The incident came to light after one of the guests took photographs of this gift package and posted them on Facebook which resulted in public outrage.

“Subsequently, the pub decided to cancel the party. After receiving a complaint, we took statements from some of the guests and the management to inquire about it. We issued notices and are further investigating the matter,” the official said.

Maharashtra Youth Congress files complaint, pub responds

The police have launched an investigation into the matter following a complaint from Maharastra Youth Congress general secretary Akshay Jain said they were not against pub culture or nightlife, but this kind of “cheap advertising”.

“We are not against pub culture or nightlife, but we are against this kind of cheap publicity. We have lodged a complaint with the Pune police commissioner and hope that this kind of cheap publicity stunt does not happen again. occur in the city. In recent times, we have seen that cases of drugs and other illegal activities have increased,” Jain told ANI.

Jain said such actions must be condemned and strict action must be taken against them.

Also read: ‘More than 7 lakh people and 10,000 cameras’: How is Bengaluru preparing for New Year celebrations?

‘High Spirits Cafe’ has responded to the controversy through its manager Zaid Khan, ensuring that it is all a misunderstanding.

“This is all a misunderstanding. Every year we have a theme for New Year’s Eve, and this year’s theme is “celebrate responsibly” with a focus on safety. Young people often engage in activities such as drinking and driving or having unprotected sex, ignoring the possible consequences. To solve this, we distribute condoms, oral rehydration solutions and a card with a driver service number,” the manager told Punekar News.

He added that the cafe also offers partygoers a one-way taxi ride to discourage drinking and driving.