Police tighten noose on unauthorised hookah bars in Jamshedpur , one operator arrested

Jamshedpur : Police have decided to intensify their crackdown on hookah bars in the city. Tightening noose on the hookah bar operators a raid was conducted in which one of operators was arrested by the Sakchi police from one unauthorised such bars located on Ambagan road in Sakchi.

Acting on a tip off, police on Saturday evening arrested a 35-year-old man, Mohammed Tahzim Hasmi, for operating Hookah Bar at the basement of a three-storied building at Sakchi. the Hookah Bar was running illegally at a place called ‘0.5 Sheesha Room.’

Rajiv Kumar officer-in-charge of Sakchi police station conducted the raid after gathering information about the Sheesha Room and nabbed the operator.

” We were receiving regular complains against the bar. At the time of the raid we found three girls and as many youths smoking narcotic substance. But we nabbed the owner of the place and arrested him for running the hookah bar without any license as such,” said the OC.

Kumar said they gathered information that similar hookah bars are being run at three more places in Sakchi.

“We have decided to continue with the campaign. On Sunday, we raided the places this morning, but found those unauthorised bars closed. We think that they have closed the bars in apprehension of arrest, but we will keep a tab on these places and take necessary action against the operators,” said Kumar.

Meanwhile, Hasmi has been sent to Ghaghidih Central Jail after his production before a judicial magistrate today.

“During the investigation we found that the owner of the hookah bar ‘0.5 Sheesha Room’ had no license as such and this is why we arrested him,” said a police official.

Significantly, Jharkhand Excise inspector Ajay Kumar said that the Jharkhand Excise does not give license to Hookah Bar though narcotic drugs are used for running such bars.

“We do not provide any license to Hookah Bars here and running such business is illegal,” said Ajay Kumar.

Significantly, at a hookah bars tobacco and even marijuana are used for smoking and tobacco with a flavour of orange, lemon and strawberry are served for smoking.
The Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act prohibits smoking tobacco products in a non-smoking zone while also prohibiting the sale of any tobacco product to minors and in an area within a 100 yard radius of educational institutions. Doctors said though most of hookah smokers think it causes less harm than cigarettes, the ill effects are similar.

Parents have welcomed the move and demanded stern action against such joints. ” It is really a welcome move. Hookah bars have mushroomed across the city and many schoolchildren visit these joints. Several schoolchildren have also become addicted to tobacco. The police said should initiate stern action against these joints,” said a parent.