THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The city police have raised a few eyebrows by banning DJ parties in connection with the New Year celebrations at two prominent hotels. The stop memo was issued by Cantonment police, who said the decision was taken in line with the instructions given by City Police Commissioner Balram Kumar Upadhyay.
However, the state government has not yet issued any advisory banning the events in the wake of the Omicron threat or other possible law and order situation. DJ parties and events have been announced by prominent hotels in other cities including Kochi. Highly-placed police sources said the Omicron threat and potential law and order challenges have prompted them to issue the notice.
“We are expecting a government order banning the DJ parties or curtailing the time in the coming days. The Cantonment station house officer seems to have jumped the gun and issued the memo to the hotels in haste before the government order,” said a source. Stop memos were served on a five-star hotel on Punnen road and to a star hotel at Palayam.
Meanwhile, the sources added that the senior officers had met the hoteliers and issued a slew of directives to be followed during the parties. This was done to avoid law and order issues during the New Year parties. “The hotels that are set to organise DJ parties have been asked about the pre-emptive measures they are taking to prevent law and order issues developing during their events. They have been asked about the security measures they are going to put in place to ensure safety of the attendees. They have been told to liaison with the cops and inform them in case heavily drunk people try to drive,” a source added.
Meanwhile, a tourism entrepreneur seeking anonymity said the police have no right to issue stop memos to scheduled DJ parties until the government issues an order in this regard. “The Covid spread has taken a toll on the sector and when it appears that things are clawing back to normal, we are facing new obstacles,” the entrepreneur said.
Reacting to the development, one of the DJs who was to perform during New Year's eve said the police cannot be blamed if they took the decision due to the Omicron threat. “With a heavy heart, I have to say that they are not totally incorrect if they took the decision on the basis of health aspects. DJ parties are incomplete without dancing and social distancing can go for a toss in such events. However, if they have taken the decision equating DJ parties with drug parties, then they are wrong,” he said.