HYDERABAD: A day after Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy instructed the Cyberabad police to investigate the sale of tickets for the Sunburn music festival on New Year’s Eve in Hyderabad, a case has been registered against the event organizers and ticketing platform BookMyShow for selling tickets without official permission to host the event.
In a clarification issued early on Monday, Cyberabad Commissioner of Police (CP) Avinash Mohanty said that permission for the Sunburn festival had not been granted. Despite this, the organizers purportedly continued selling tickets, ranging from `2,299 to `3,999, on the online booking platform.
The police said the organizers had submitted an application to the CP’s office seeking permission to conduct the Sunburn festival on December 31. However, the police did not give any approval. Meanwhile, the organizers allegedly made preparations near Hitec City in Madhapur, within Cyberabad police commissionerate limits, and commenced ticket sales on BookMyShow while awaiting permission for the event.
Madhapur police on Monday specified that a case has been registered against the event organizers and authorities involved in the issue. Further investigation is set to take place.
Madhapur police on Monday said that a case has been registered against the organizers and the officials concerned. Further inquiry is underway, they added.
Regarding the alleged ticket sales, a police official told TNIE, “As of now, we do not know how many tickets were sold.”
Similarly, there is no clarity on the refund process for the tickets. During a conference with district collectors and superintendents of police on Sunday, Revanth expressed concern over how the booking platform could sell tickets without police permission. He highlighted that the Sunburn festival had been cancelled in Goa, Maharashtra, and Karnataka previously due to concerns about promoting a destructive culture that could harm the future of youths.
“We saw how Punjab collapsed due to the drug menace and Telangana is moving fast in that direction,” the chief minister had said, directing the police to take strict action to curb the menace of drugs.
Rs 2.3K-Rs 4K is the cost of tickets for the Sunburn music festival on the BookMyShow portal. Cyberabad CP Avinash Mohanty said that while the organizers had filed an application seeking permission, the police were yet to approve the same. Nevertheless, the organizers began the arrangements and are selling tickets for the event