High Court pulls up Mangaluru police for raids on recreational clubs

Bengaluru: The High Court on Wednesday asked the State why it should not initiate action against Mangaluru police officers responsible for violating the Supreme Court guidelines while raiding two recreational clubs in Mangaluru city.

Justice K.N. Phaneendra stayed all proceedings initiated against the members of the two clubs the Members Lounge Recreation Club, Falneer, and New Members Lounge Recreation Club, Thokkottu.

Claiming that the police could not have arrested any members of the club as the offences alleged against them are non-cognizable ones as per the law, it has been alleged in the petition that the police harassed many members of the clubs who were playing legally permissible games on the club premises, humiliated them, denied them food and water, and did not allow them to contact their kith and kin.

Alleging that the police have adopted specific modus operandi while raiding recreational clubs, it has been claimed in the petition that the police, while entering the club premises, would first switch off the closed-circuit camera monitoring system and then ask all the club members to surrender all their valuables such as mobile phones, gold chains, watches, and cash. The petitioners alleged that the police would show only 40 per cent of the total valuables taken from the members as seized ones.