Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena (MNVS), the student wing of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), staged a protest on Saturday against the "pub culture" in Pune. This comes amid a growing call for justice for the two IT professionals who were mowed down by a teen driving a Porsche in Kalyani Nagar on May 19.
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"We demand that there should be no pubs in Pune. We are making this demand with the guidance of (MNS chief) Raj Thackeray and Amit Thackeray. The pub culture has destroyed the city, and it came to the fore with the recent tragic accident. Are we waiting for more such accidents to occur?" said an MNVS leader.
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"The pub owners do not follow any rules and regulations and operate till 4-5 in the morning. It is also seen that the pub owners are either well-connected to politicians or are themselves politicians, and due to this, the administration does not take any action against them. Not just serving alcohol to minors, but drugs are also seen used regularly at such establishments. We cannot see our city degrade anymore and hence, we demand it to be shut permanently. The government should take moral responsibility and shut them down," he added.
MNVS had also set up a white banner at the protest site for citizens to sign and support their demand for closing down the pubs. Kasba MLA Ravindra Dhangekar, who was passing by, was also among the signatories. Speaking to the media, he said, "Punekars must be saved from this harmful pub culture."
Earlier on Friday, pub owners and staff staged a protest following the excise department crackdown. They claimed that the excise department's action of sealing 32 establishments so far has rendered 60,000 people jobless.
