Police raid two restaurants in Amritsar, seize 15 hookahs; cases filed

PK Jaiswar

Amritsar, May 21

Despite the fact that serving hookahs is banned in Punjab, bars and restaurant owners are flouting the norms with impunity, if last night’s seizure is anything to go by.

The city police raided two restaurants, one at Mall Road and the other in the posh Ranjit Avenue area and recovered 15 hookahs along with flavours from there. The police also found these restaurants serving liquor in an illegal manner as they did not have the requisite licence for the same.

One of the restaurants, Egyptian, located in Ranjit Avenue, was found violating rules for the second time in the recent past.

Varinder Singh Khosa, Assistant Commissioner of Police (North), said that the police will write to the district administration for sealing the restaurant as the owners were found guilty of violation for the second time. He said no restaurant and bar would be allowed to serve hookah in such clandestine manner.

During the raid, the police found 10 hookahs, 10 hookah flavours and 20 bottles of illegal liquor. The police have booked its owner Abhishek of Lawrence Road, manager Kishor Chander and an employee Yashpal of Jammu. A case under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act and the Excise Act was registered against them.

Similarly, Civil Lines police raided the Tamzara restaurant on Mall Road and recovered five hookahs, five flavours and two bottles of illegal liquor. The police booked its owner Love Sharma of Hathi Gate area, manager Saini, Raman Kumar of Vikas Nagar and Gurinder Singh of Sultanwind road. A separate case under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act and the Excise Act was registered against them.

Khosa said high profit margins and lack of teeth in the law as it was a bailable offence lured the people into the illegal act of serving hookah. Hookah bars are permanently banned in the state to check the use of tobacco. After Gujarat and Maharashtra, Punjab is the third state to do so.