Despite opposition from Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil and protests by Kothrud residents, Diljit Dosanjh's concert was held as planned in Kothrud on Sunday.
Patil had instructed the Pune Police Commissioner, Excise Department, and District Collector to cancel the concert, and he also announced that his party would organize a protest march if the event proceeded. It remains to be seen whether he will follow through with the protest.
The concert took place at 7 pm on Sunday at the Suryakant Kakade Farms in Kothrud, with more than 50,000 attendees expected. Opposition to the event stemmed from concerns about sound pollution from the loudspeakers and traffic congestion. Local residents, along with political parties and social organizations including MNS and the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP, strongly opposed the concert and warned of protests. Despite these objections, the event went ahead without interruption, with police deployed at the venue to maintain law and order.
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Residents express frustration over traffic
Residents expressed frustration over the traffic jams caused by the event and the disruption it caused to their daily lives. Patil, who had opposed the concert both as an MLA and as a citizen, had specifically cited concerns over liquor sales, noise, and traffic. He had instructed the authorities to cancel the event, describing such programs as a "pest to society."
In a last-minute move, the state excise department, on Sunday cancelled the permit for serving liquor at Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh's musical concert in the Kothrud area of Pune city.
While the liquor consumption license for the concert was canceled, the event itself went ahead as planned. Charan Singh Rajput from the State Excise Pune Department provided an explanation for the cancellation of the liquor license. Citizens are questioning why the concert was allowed to take place despite Patil's clear instructions to cancel it.
