Pune Pub owner gifts condom, ORS packets with New Year invitation

Pune: The pub culture in the city was in the limelight after the Porsche car accident in Kalyani Nagar. Later, the police, the civic administration and the district administration cracked down on restaurants, pubs and bars, which violated rules. Yet some of them continued to operate beyond the permitted hours.

Now, some of them have caused a sensation. A pub distributed invitations for the New Year party, along with condom and ORS packets. Maharashtra State Youth Congress Media President Akshay Jain lodged a complaint with the Commissioner of Police in this regard.

Jain’s complaint stated, “Mundhwa-based High Spirit Café restaurant-cum-pub has sent New Year invitations to the youths, who are their regular customers. The café has attached condom and ORS packets with the invitation. The act demeans the educational and cultural traditions of Pune. There is a fear that such acts will send the wrong message among the youth. Misunderstanding and wrong habits will spread in society.

“Pune is known as the educational and cultural hub across the country. The image of the city is tainted due to such deeds, which are done to seek publicity. We, on behalf of the Pune youths, strongly oppose this. I request you to launch a proper inquiry into the incident and take strict action against the pub owner.”

When contacted, the pub management said, “We included necessary things in gift bags, which was in consonant with our 2025 ‘Safety and Celebration’ theme. They included a sound-generating device, confetti bomb, an electrolyte packet, a condom packet and a mobile phone number of a driver company so that they do not drink and drive. The inclusion of a condom was to encourage safe and responsible behaviour. This complies with initiatives of the National AIDS Control Organisation.”