According to reports, two activists were responsible for busting the rave party at Bombay 72 Degrees East, a pub in Juhu, on Sunday night. And while the media has gone all out, printing or broadcasting images of the partygoers, the jury is still out on the role of the activist as moral guardian.
While some city activists feel that the onus rests on their shoulders when it comes to exposing illegal activities, many feel that lines of when to interfere and when not to need to be drawn, and followed.
Nitin Karani, an activist with, Humsafar Trust, an NGO working with members of the Indian gay and transgender community, says, "There should be no reason for activists to go crashing into private parties. If they suspect there is something illegal or wrong going on, then they should inform the police. Activists should not carry out investigations."
Others, however, believe that Afzal Khan and Kiran Hundal, the duo who reportedly helped the Mumbai police in the raid, were exercising their rights as citizens. Says activist Medha Patkar: "There is nothing wrong if social activists bust such rackets. Drug addiction can be life threatening, and many youth are being pulled into it. Activists have every right to take on the responsibility of exposing the ills that plague society. If it is against the law, then there is nothing wrong in exposing it." In the same vein, Patkar adds that sometimes, impinging on a person's privacy is required. "Wife battery, for instance, is a private affair, but it needs to be brought to the attention of the law," she says.
According to reports, seven drug dealers were arrested in the raid. "It wasn't really a private affair, so in this case, what the activists did is justified, in my opinion," says Simpreet Singh, activist with National Alliance of People's Movement.
The media, however, is under attack for its coverage, by publishing the faces of teenagers, who have yet to be proven guilty. "The media needs to be more responsible, and undue publicity was given to raid," says Singh. However, she admits that the activists and police should have arrested only the drug peddlers and users. "There should be a line between activism and privacy."
s_surekha@dnaindia.net
