The VICE Guide to Right Now

Hyderabad Police Says Single People Are Not Allowed at Any New Year's Eve Parties

The Rachakonda police department has issued an advisory to event organisers asking them to restrict the entry of both single men and women, as well as DJs.
Shamani Joshi
Mumbai, IN
If You’re Single on News Years Eve in Hyderabad, You Can’t Attend Any Parties

If you’re single on New Year’s Eve, you already have it hard enough. Not only are you forced to contemplate how your single ass spent yet another year with no chill in ‘Netflix and chill’, but the spectacle of couples all around you snogging their way into a new decade of regrettable decisions is enough to leave you feeling more alone than ever. But if you thought you had it bad, the Hyderabad police just made it worse.

Advertisement

According to the News Minute, the Rachakonda police department in Hyderabad has issued an advisory to event organisers across the capital city restricting the entry of both single men and women at NYE celebrations, granting permission only to couples and their friends. They have also barred any of these event venues from hiring DJs to spin out smooth tunes for all the party-goers, granting permission to do so only on a case-by-case basis, and warned that the sound made by the speakers should not exceed 45 decibels.

They’re also heavily cracking down on drunk drivers and have threatened to seize cars and driving licenses from anyone caught getting behind the wheel while under the influence, along with a penalty of Rs 10,000 and six months of imprisonment, or both. But besides urging people to take cabs and not risk any accidents, they have also specifically asked all highly rated hotels and farmhouses to display this advisory for everyone to see. In fact, no event organiser can promote their NYE event unless the police have given them prior permission.

And if that wasn’t enough to kill any kind of party boner you may have had, they have also prevented any party from going on beyond 1 AM, based on the belief that luxury resorts encourage a culture of rave parties and drug use.

While some of these warnings, like the strict enforcement against drunk driving, are actually helpful, others, like banning stags, just seem arbitrary, especially at a time when the general atmosphere is already so gloomy. So we won’t be too surprised if house parties are the only thing happening this NYE in Hyderabad.

Follow Shamani Joshi on Instagram.