'THESE PARTIES ARE A DRUG MENACE'

NEW DELHI : With the number of rave parties in the city on the rise, police
have been left contemplating measures to deal with what they describe as
drug menace and health hazard.

The police believe that these parties could also be detrimental to the law
and order scenario in the long run.

"The accused in the Swissair office robbery was recently arrested at a rave
party. His profile matches that of those who frequent such parties. These
are also a drug menace which has to be checked," said deputy commissioner
of police (crime) Dependra Pathak, adding that raves were proving to be a
den of vice.

It's not even clear if security and fire precautions are taken before
organising such parties. "People want to go there out of a sense of
adventure and thrill. There are fire code violations which can lead to a
tragedy. These parties go on for 12 hours and you can party that hard and
that long only if you are high on drugs," added Pathak.

An officer said that things have come to a stage when even food served in
these parties are laced with cocaine. The involvement of a drug cartel in
throwing such parties is not ruled out. "The fact is that a record amount
(100 kg) of heroin was seized from Delhi last year. The profile of a drug
pusher has also undergone a sea change. He is no longer a shabby looking
man, but one among those organising such parties," said the officer.

The police and those attending rave parties admit that drugs are an
intrinsic part of the "fun."

"The way the music is played itself lends to drug-induced stimulation.
Apart from that, most of the people are young who are not averse to trying
it out," said Ashwin Arora, who admits to having been at a rave party.