Fear and conspiracy as panic grips Mumbai’s gays

“Don't do this story. It will only make things worse.” That's what many people from the city's gay community told these writers when we asked them to comment on Saturday night's raid on a party by the Thane police. The police were allegedly acting on a tip that the party was being organised using a website that catered to homosexuals.

“With good reason, too,” says Praful, who says that the gay community is in a state of panic, wondering if they'll be arrested next. “The portrayal of the people involved, by the media, is disappointing. One publication printed the names and faces of these people, and they are not criminals.

A number of homophobic television channels have blown the situation out of proportion, all for the sake of a few brownie points. How does this help us?”

The Thane police raided a private party and attempted to book six people on the grounds of possession of liquor without a permit. It was reported that they also seized some condoms. And while many are still shell-shocked over recent events, all the people who agreed to talk to us questioned the role of the media.

“There's a nexus between the media and some policemen, and some papers and channels sensationalise the news,” says Vikram from Gay Bombay, an organisation that creates safe spaces for gays in the city.

And while in many cities all over the world, marriage and adoption rights for the homosexual community are now a reality, in Mumbai, even attending a party is fraught with peril.

Sameer Mehta, a 26-year-old marketing executive, does not attend parties hosted by organisers he doesn't know personally. “But having said that, I have attended a lot of gay parties, and let me tell you that not all of them are about sex and drugs,” he says. “Unless gays are caught in the act of having anal intercourse, there's nothing illegal about it.”

It's not just the gay community who is worried about their rights. College student Saurabh Kesvani and his friends, who are getting ready for a house party tonight, are cracking jokes about whether they will be subject to a police raid. But underlying the flippant remarks is a sense of bewilderment and anger. Do the police have the right to raid a private party?

“It's something straight out of George Orwell's 1984,” says a rather gloomy Kesvani. But when it comes to a gay party, the threats are more tangible.

“Risk is always involved in goi ng to such parties. We are so used to illegal harassment, that we know that we just need to live with it,” says Vikram.

He goes the extra mile when organising parties. So, invites sent out, clearly mention that display of nudity and indecent behaviour is not allowed. Liquor licences are sought from the police in advance and no underage person is invited. All this so that a group of like-minded people can enjoy a night out without having to worry about getting arrested.

t_anjali@dnaindia.net; g_aniruddha@dnaindia.net