Invasion of privacy is a raid too far

If they weren't customs officials, would we have even bothered with the Lonavala 'orgy'?

Now we all have read in the newspapers about how the Pune police raided a private party in a bungalow in Lonavala. Now the fact that the partygoers were customs officials prompted the journalist to tip off the police. Two courier agents tipped off the journo…and so the vicious cycle turned.

The cynics are already claiming that the customs officials must have, at some point, done
something to the agents, and prompted this backlash. The gory details of the 'orgy' are all over the place. But why did these agents post bail for the officials and the 'dancers'.

I object to our police becoming moral gatekeepers, or upholders as it is known, especially since the news is rife with corrupt policemen, some dabble in bigamy and others keep mistresses.

The first party bust-up was the rave party in Lonavala. There were many young BPO workers caught with drugs. I do NOT believe the police. Having covered the crime beat for over a decade I empathise with the police force, and have sympathy for their cause, but I strongly believe they can tamper, infiltrate, plant, etc. I am not insinuating that they did so in the Lonavala rave party case, but the way the police busted that party seemed ludicrous then and even in this case.

These are private lives. Who sleeps with whom, who goes for an orgy, is a private affair.
In the case of the customs officials, these were all adults. None of the girls claimed they were forced into any sexual act. It was mutual consent. All the customs officials and girls are above 18. Yet, the middle class believes they have the right to decide what sort of behaviour should be allowed, and what shouldn't.

To make matters worse, the officials have been arrested for the most hilarious crime: Public nuisance (when did a private bungalow become public?) and obscenity. Who decides what's obscene? Should Bollywood producers and directors also be arrested, for 'item' numbers?

Of course, one other allegation is that the officials possessed 'blue' films which they watched to the sounds of DJ music. I shudder to think how regressive we are becoming as a society. The worst part is that none of these allegations will hold in a court. The only thing that may make the judge sit up and take notice is that custom officials were involved.

When I was going to college in the 80s, the police rarely, if ever, raided college premises. As teenagers we had house parties every second day. A friend of mind and I would have drinks in the presence of parents, who were there to supervise us and ensure we girls were protected, and did nothing untoward.

We would have music on and would dance. The parents, uncles, and aunties all were part of it. Yes, some romances started at these parties and ended there. There was nothing immoral in these acts.

And what's with our pre-occupation with 'blue' films? A friend of mine, would take me to a video parlour in a posh part of South Mumbai where I would witness housewives come asking for X-rated films, which would be then wrapped in newspaper and handed over to them. What's so vulgar about that?

The main issue here is mutual consent, of which there, as of writing this, was. In fact, how many journalists, who frequent the city's pubs and bars, are in possession of a liquor permit? No stings about that. But being a journalist myself I have a few questions regarding this case: Who booked the bungalow? Who posted the bail? Why? How did over 20 officials get time off at the same time? Who sanctioned their leave? How did they procure the girls? Where did the funds come from?

Now these are the issues I would like to know the answers to, not who slept with whom, and what clothes they wore.
k_neeta@dnaindia.net