As drinks flow, music sets the mood, and the psychedelic lights lead you to the dance floor, people forcing a drink or two on their friends — male and female — is a common sight inside nightclubs or at get-togethers. “One for the road” calls, often end up with you gulping down another shot of your favourite poison, no matter who serves the refill. Before you know it, that one last drink takes you on a spin like never before.
Was your drink spiked?
Spiked drinks raise its ugly head at regular intervals, like it happened with TikTok star and BJP leader Sonali Phogat. The men she trusted spiked her drink (they gave her methampetamine) leading to her death.
What can be done to tackle this menaceHyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand
Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand minces no words as he expresses his displeasure over the way nightclubs have been functioning. “Most of the managements are busy violating the norms related to pubs and bars — age, drugs, sound, timings, crazy schemes to increase clientele. In such circumstances, is it even possible to work with them on this (spiked drinks) issue?” he wonders. “We don’t really go in (nightclubs) to become spoilsports. A lot of new initiatives are being planned to make them more accountable and ensure safety of their patrons,” says Anand.
Drink-spiking and sexual assault
In the Indian context, the job of the law enforcement agencies ends with keeping a check on the closure timings of the nightclubs. At most, they intervene when there is a drunken brawl.
“Everyone should start drinking responsibly. Most of the time, people may not be able to distinguish whether their drink is spiked or they may have gulped large amounts of alcohol,” feels Amit Garg, presently posted as Joint Director at the prestigious Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Police Academy (NPA).
“In India, in most cases, the accused is known to the victim. Often, there is a background to such incidents and the motives vary — could be socio-economic or sexual assault or something else. The comfort level between two or a group of people in a nightclub makes it difficult for anyone to suspect wrongdoing," explains the 1993 batch IPS officer.
He says while police patrols keep an eye on closure timings of establishments, the task force teams do keep a tab on drug peddling in these places. “But how does one know if a woman’s drink is being spiked with her consent, just for the heck of it, or she’s unaware?” wonders the official, suggesting that spiking a drink can even be consensual between partners.
Spiking drinks, either for fun or to take advantage of women, goes unreported most often, which is one reason why such incidents rarely come to light. When it does get reported, the damage is already done.
Highlight:
Spiked drinks are extremely dangerous. These include blackouts, waking up sick and numb, or even worse. It only takes a few minutes for someone to feel the effects, which can turn life threatening. Many of the drugs used to spike drinks cause memory loss, and many victims are unaware of or have very little memory of the incident.
Pub owners trying their best
“Spiked drinks have reached alarming proportions in Hyderabad and other Indian cities. It’s worrying. If anyone feels unsafe, vulnerable or threatened inside the club, they quickly need to alert the staff. We have sensitised our staff to be vigilant too,” says Raj Reddy, Operations Manager at Prost brewpub in Jubilee Hills.
“We have put in place measures to ensure narcotics are not smuggled inside pubs, which gives no scope for drinks to be spiked. Strict checking at the entrances, no open cigarette packs or medications in bags allowed, and sensitising the staff to keep an eye on guests’ behaviour are a few effective measures. We also have signages all around telling guests not to leave their drinks unattended,” says Shanker Krishnamurthy, Chapter Head, NRAI, partner and chef at Fusion9 Hospitality.
“Management cannot track such incidents unless they keep a constant eye on people’s behaviour. If two people are sitting at a bar table and one goes to the restroom or gets distracted answering the phone, no staff can keep an eye on your drink every second,” says Amit Roy, a partner at Shilton Hospitality and co-founder of ThinkTanc.
Cases
* On June 17, 2022, a 30-year-old woman working for a BPO in Kolkata was gang-raped by two male colleagues at an office party. According to the investigation, the victim was forced to have a spiked drink after being taken inside a hotel room by her female colleague.
* January 2020: A 19-year-old student was gang-raped by two men who allegedly spiked her drinks with sedatives during a party at a pub in Koramangala.
* August 2016: A night out with female friends at one of Mumbai’s hottest clubs turned into a nightmare for a Bandra resident. While she was dancing with her friends, her unattended glass of wine was spiked. This resulted in a harrowing few hours, but prompt assistance from her friends and family, who rushed her to a doctor, prevented further damage.
* February 2019: A woman was raped after her drink was spiked at a birthday party held at a friend’s house in Waliv, Maharashtra’s Palghar district. The culprit turned out to be the host’s boyfriend.
* Sonali Phogat was administered methamphetamine by the accused at a restaurant in North Goa hours before her death. The drugs were given to her at Curlies Restaurant at Anjuna.
In the West, staff at all such venues are routinely trained to spot the warning signs, and the police use CCTV footage and other investigative tools to gather evidence and track down offenders.
What is spiking?
Adding drugs or alcohol to another person’s drink without their knowledge is termed ‘spiking’. It is done either as a joke or with the intention of stealing from or assaulting the victim.
What the law says:
“Spiking of drinks doesn’t come under any specific section of the law. So the nature of the offence will depend on what transpires after someone consumes the drink. “It could be robbery, rape, assault, murder or kidnapping. Unless the substances used are narcotics, the club owners cannot be held responsible,” explains advocate Shraddha Gupta Co-founder, Accord Juris & Senior Associate, The Law Chambers.
What substances are used to spike drinks?
Although drugs used in drink-spiking are not always used for sexual assault, they are frequently referred to as date rape drugs. Drugs that have reportedly been used for spiking include:
* gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB)
* gamma-butyrolactone (GBL)
*tranquillisers, most often benzodiazepines, including Valium (diazepam) and Rohypnol
* ketamine
Date rape drugs are especially dangerous when combined with alcohol because they have a very potent effect. In severe cases, it can result in a coma or even death.
Date rape drugs can be found in powder, tablet, or liquid form, and they don't always have a distinct taste or odour, making them difficult to detect in a drink.
However, excessive bubbles in the drink, a foggy appearance, sinking ice, and a change in colour can be observed.
* It is not only alcohol that can be spiked; non-alcoholic drinks can also be spiked.
The usual symptoms
* Feeling quickly out of control, or ‘out of it’, than anticipated
* Feeling sleepy
* Losing inhibitions
* Feeling more ‘compliant’ with another’s wishes
* Visual problems
* Dizziness
* Nausea or vomiting
Be Spike Aware
* Never lose sight of your drink
* Be vigilant if you're drinking with strangers
