Security a big issue for Sunny Nights: Bengaluru police

Bengaluru: In a setback to the organisers of the much-talked-about ‘Sunny Nights’, featuring Bollywood actor Sunny Leone, the city police on Monday officially denied permission for the event which was scheduled on the New Year’s Eve at the White Orchid Hotel in Nagavara.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-East Division) Girish S. issued a letter to the event organiser, Harish, managing director of The Time Creation, following a High Court order on Thursday, directing the police to decide whether they are giving permission to the event or not.

Rejecting the permission, the police laid down the reasons, including “no proper clarification on various issues ranging from permission to be obtained from various departments to proper requisite arrangements”.

The letter states that as many as 10,000 police personnel will be deployed across the city on the New Year’s Eve and adequate police staff will not be available for the “Sunny Nights” event.

Cops moot separate rows for men, women at MG, Brigade 
If all goes according to the plan, MG Road and Brigade Road, the hotspots for the New Year celebration, will have “women and men” rows separating the two genders. The plan which has been tabled by the city police is yet to be finalised.  

The separation by genders is aimed at preventing sexual harassment as the police last year faced severe criticism when women complained about being victims of molestation on MG Road and Brigade Road.

“Thousands of people, both men and women, gather on MG Road and Brigade road at midnight to celebrate the New Year. It becomes difficult to ensure safety of women. Even if some untoward incident happens, it becomes nearly impossible to identify and catch the culprits considering the jam-packed roads. Separate rows will ensure total safety of women and may prevent untoward incidents,” a senior police officer said. Police are pondering measures to ensure the safety of women following a Karnataka HC order, which recently directed police to ensure no untoward incident occurs in the city or state during New Year celebrations.

The move has got a favourable response from public. Smitha, a software engineer with a private firm, said that the segregation will be a good idea to ensure the safety of women. “All kinds of people come to MG Road and Brigade Road. Some to celebrate the New Year, while some to take advantage of the crowd. In this mixed crowd, it is practically impossible for the police to keep eye on everyone. Having separate rows for men and women is an ideal solution,” she said.