Sunburn mired in controversy (Herald)

December 29, 2013 ANC sleuths nab MP native with charas TEAM HERALD PANJIM: The first day of electronic music festival ‘Sunburn 2013’ was mired in controversy when the Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) sleuths arresting a domestic tourist with drugs in his possession at the party venue at Vagator on Friday night. Various other irregularities, allegedly noticed by ANC sleuths at the venue, included several hundred persons smoking hookahs and chillums; people snorting drugs in temporary bathrooms set up for the party attendees and crew members; over 1000 persons fined for smoking at the designated ‘no smoking venue’ and foreigners on tourist visas in the State also employed at the venue. Even though the organisers have been touting the event as a drug-free music extravaganza, drugs have been making its way into the festival. The festival had hit a controversy when Bangalore-based girl had died at the venue in Candolim in 2009. While the police claimed it was due to drug overdose, the girl’s father had, however, ruled out foul play and maintained that she had a history of bipolar disorder (a mix of high and low moods). While police officials claimed that the arrest of Saurabh Agarwal of Raipur on Friday night, who was caught red-handed with 10 gms of charas, inside the venue was an act of deterrence against the illegal business, several hundred persons found smoking hookahs and chillums were let go. Police sources told Herald said the contraband valued at Rs 3,000 found with Agarwal was essentially to consume and to also distribute among his party friends inside the venue. However, other alleged drug abusers were neither booked nor warned, admitted the sources. Police sources, who were present during the party, also told Herald that the open space was not only used for drug consumption, but the temporary bathrooms set up for the party attendees and crew members also had people snorting drugs. “There were joints along the periphery where the drugs business was going on, but only one arrest has been made. Police have to follow several technical steps for mass arrests,” said a police official, who declined to be named. Apparently, a small police force present at the site was unable to take stiffer action against the large crowd. The festival, which is expecting more than one lakh footfalls during the three daylong event, has also reportedly employed foreigners who are in fact in the State on tourist visas. The police personnel checked their papers and found they are in the State on tourist visas. “They are working here. It amounts to violation of Foreigners’ Act, but no action was taken against them as well,” alleged the official. State police had put up various guidelines including CCTV cameras and frisking of the revelers entering the venue. On the other hand, over 1000 persons were fined for violating Cigarette and Other Tobacco Product Act (COPTA) at the venue as it has been declared ‘no smoking venue’ (and also no drug zone). Sources said, there were still many people caught smoking but action against them could not be taken because the pages of the challan books were exhausted. On the eve of the Sunburn beach party, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had busted the biggest haul of ‘Ketamine’ (date rape drugs) ever made in Goa. The team had confiscated 450 bottles of Ketamine, weighing 4.5kg, all of which are valued at Rs 1 crore in the international market. Locals alleged that drug dealer Amir Malik and his two accomplices Christo and Sanman – who are now in NCB custody - were planning to supply the tablets at the musical party venues. When asked to justify the arrest of only one person in connection with possession of drugs when many others were found snorting drugs at the venue, a senior police official declined to comment. When efforts were made to contact Shailendra Singh of ‘Percept’, the company handling the Sunburn festival, for comments into the drugs-related arrest at Sunburn, Odette Sapeco, the Public Relations person of Percept, stated: “Percept does not wish to comment.” http://heraldgoa.in/News/Local%20News/Sunburn-mired-in-controversy/83659.html