Fridae

According to the Times of India, six people including the main organiser has been detained after the police planted an undercover police officer amongst party goers at a Yeoor Hills house located in Thane, a city in the northeastern outskirts of Mumbai.

The Times reported that police had seized liquor bottles and condoms from the bungalow which had been rented for the event. An entry of Rs 500 (US$12) was payable on top of a Rs 450 registration fee. Details of the party was allegedly advertised on a gay web site and circulated via SMS. The police told the media that about 82 people had registered for the party via the web site.

On the evening, the police set up a checkpoint to search vehicles heading towards Yeoor and intercepted a person transporting a music system to the venue.

The six were taken into custody, but subsequently released after a magistrate denied the police custody as they sought to book and arrest the group for possession of liquor without a permit.

The Times quoted activist Ashok Row Kavi of Humsafar Trust, a gay rights group, as condemning the police action - given that all the men detained were adults and were not found violating any law.

"There's something objectionable in the way the police�instead of going after terrorists and thieves�are going after innocent people," said Ashok Row Kavi. "What's the big deal? These boys were all adults and were taking a crate of beer to a party in a private place. It's unfair that you barge in. Besides, carrying condoms isn't a sin," he added.

According to indiainfo.com, one publication printed the names and faces of those arrested.

Vikram Doctor of Gay Bombay, a social group for gay men which communicates via a web site and egroup, posted a lengthy email to clarify the situation and urged members of the community to "calm down."

"There's a nexus between the media and some policemen, and some papers and channels sensationalise the news," Vikram was quoted as saying on indiainfo.com.

He wrote in an email, "What is really disturbing is that some of the media people who were around then quite freely came into the police station and took their pictures and seemed to be all ready to make a big story out of it all."

Vikram, who is an openly gay journalist and food critic, noted that several TV channels including Sahara, IndiaLive and Aajtak aired news of the raid while NDTV did not air the footage although they had possession of it.

"We heard that at one point one of the TV channel reporters suggested stripping one of the guys so that it would make for a better TV shot," he said in the email.

He urged party organisers to get themselves a liquor permit as in a case like this one where the "police really could not find anything substantiable to charge these guys under, they resorted to the most basic one - charging them under the Prohibition act for not having a permit."

While some members of the Mumbai (Bombay) gay community are said to be in a state of panic after news of the raid and arrests, Vikram's advice is for the community to be vigilant but not retreat into the closet.

"When we're scared because of events like this, our automatic reaction is to go back into our closets and cut off all gay contacts because that seems the safe thing to do. And in the short run maybe it is, but in the long run it's not. Because we still have to lead our lives, we still have to meet friends, have fun, just get on with things and going into the closet doesn't help with any of that. So the question you should be asking is not whether you can risk going to parties again - but whether you can risk not going!"

Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code criminalises 'sexual offences against the order of nature' including sexual relations between men. If convicted, one may face up to ten years imprisonment and a fine.

Bollywood stars speak out against raid and Section 377
On Feb 5, the Mumbai Mid-Day newspaper online quoted 19 male and female Bollywood stars including Riya Sen, Aryan Vaid and Neetu Chandra who condemned the police action and expressed their support for gays to be treated equally.

The scathing article strongly criticised the raid and arrests in a sarcastic tone: "Police detained six people on the shocking crime of having stocked snacks, drinks and condoms!"

"In a time when rapes and murders are going unsolved, we hear of a team of police officers planting spies, intercepting traffic and blocking roads to stop a private party! Should laws pertaining to homosexuality be revised? Shocked Bollywood reacts."

Aryan Vaid, an actor, model and writer said: "My closest friends are gay and I'm constantly socialising with them. Gay people are an integral part of our society. We need to accept that, and accommodate them. Sexual bias is as bad as any other bias that plagues our society. What happened on Saturday night is draconian and ugly. What right did the cops have to stop a private party?"

For more quotes: visit B-Town fights for gay rights (mid-day.com).