How safe is Delhi’s Hauz Khas Village at night?

Sundown in Delhi sees Hauz Khas Village brimming with action. Pubs and restaurants sprawl across the small area, and it is lovingly called "the Village". However, despite being so popular, it isn't exactly the safest place in the city. It is a place where people go to party and often end up drunk. For most, that’s the charm of the place and bar owners also promote it like that. Often, close to midnight, it becomes a site for ugly brawls, some of which even get blown out of proportion.

Yesterday, Mail Today reported that a much frequented bar in Hauz Khas Village had become the setting for an altercation last Thursday. A group of patrons were assaulted by bouncers right outside the venue. If you're still wondering where these bouncers were from, it's none other than Social Offline -- a collaborative work space during the day and a high energy bar by night. 

The incident is symptomatic of the Hauz Khas Village nightlife, and it is not remotely pleasant. The bigger issue is that this cannot be classified as an isolated incident. One is likely to find misbehaving bouncers in every nook and cranny of HKV. A lot of people are inebriated by midnight and bouncers at most bars are either grossly under-trained or completely untrained to handle them. 

Social Offline is not alone in the boat; most reputed bars in the area have had their share of issues. Of course, these haven’t been reported, but they have happened. I have been witness to some of them. It's not new and has been happening for the last two to three years.

The bars all have a good vibe with great music and alcohol but are unable to control situations with drunk patrons. Their bouncers often end up escalating matters instead of defusing situations for which they have been hired. They just don’t know how to deal with an inebriated person. If places decide to dole out liquor, they should have the fortitude to deal with the odd unruly patron.

Even if a person is not "tipsy", the behaviour of bouncers is often appalling, be it while someone is trying to enter/leave a bar or when patrons make minor indiscretions (like smoking in non-smoking areas). They tend to communicate in a rude and uncouth manner.

The problem is that these bouncers are hired based on their physical, intimidating presence, and not for their tact. The need of the hour is a type of bouncer who is a thorough professional with a background in the hospitality business and able to intimidate as a last resort, but can handle every situation with deftness and tact.

From what I hear, the bouncer at Social retaliated with a physical assault when the patron abused him. Technically, he had no right to get physical. This probably would not have happened if the bouncer was trained, and, boy, this does happen quite often in HKV.

I have been at the receiving end of such an attitude, too. This happened a year ago at a popular pub in the Village. The place was about to shut and I had not cleared my tab. I was in the process of clearing it, when a bouncer became terribly rude. He shoved me and I retaliated with foul language. He brought out a partner to beat the living daylights out of me, but, thankfully, the owner intervened just in time. Unfortunately, last Thursday, the intervention wasn't quick enough. 

Bars often pass the blame on to bouncers or their agencies, saying that these aren't permanent employees. But the excuse isn't good enough. Establishments have to take responsibility for every person who represents them. There is no getting away from that. 

Something like this is unlikely to happen outside India. Recently, I was in San Francisco and bouncers at the pubs there were stern yet courteous. Whenever we went out for a smoke break, they only insisted on checking our IDs and that was it.

California has a training course for security guards - something which bouncers must undertake. In New York, it is illegal to hire a bouncer without a license. In Ireland, bouncers need to undertake a level-four course in door security procedures. In Canada, under extreme circumstances, a bouncer can only grab hold of a patron’s arm and drag him/her out of the premises.

Interestingly, in Ontario, the courts have declared that “a tavern owes a twofold duty of care to its patrons. It must ensure that it does not serve alcohol which would increase the patron’s apparent intoxication. It must take positive steps to protect patrons and others from the dangers of intoxication”. Moreover, a pub can’t throw out a patron.

In the UK, bouncers are expected to have a Security Industry Authority, which involves thirty hours of training to do with behaviour, conflict management, civil and criminal law, health and safety at work, physical intervention, and emergency procedures. They even have to wear a blue plastic license while on duty.

In Delhi, as far as I know, most bouncers lack any training or certification. They are just "pehelwans" who stand at the gate without any technical proficiency or ability to handle an argument. They exist only to intimidate, and often don’t have the mental constitution to deal with an abusive patron who might be under the influence. The location of the Village is itself a safety hazard. It has only one narrow road that acts as an entry point. This road is often dug up and is almost always choked during peak hours.

Imagine a fire at one of the bars in the middle of the night. That will lead to a situation in which it'd be difficult for a fire brigade to arrive on time, whilst the Village is full of drunk people who're vulnerable at the hands of untrained bouncers.

Bootlegger (a bar in the Village) caught fire in July but that had happened around noon when the area was relatively less crowded. Imagine that fire on a Thursday night, when nine pubs are hosting a ladies night. Or worse, on a Friday night, when there's a traffic jam leading up to Aurobindo market.

The Village parking lot is an ode to its culture. It is not uncommon to see bottles on cars and people drinking openly. This happens every day, despite the presence of cops. Often, a parkingwala is in conspiracy with the person drinking in the car, and stands guard whenever a cop is approaching.

Hooliganism runs rabid in the village. Last week, a bunch of youngsters were jumping on the roof of their car, only for it to come crashing down. The cops had no role to play since this was self-inflicted vandalism. 

Another problem is that owners keep their establishments running until the last minute of the curfew, which sometimes results in police intervention. That is why bouncers are always in a rush to get the place empty -- before the cops turn up.

Security is a massive issue, too. Places employ minimal security, and often don't have enough bouncers to control a situation. People are able to carry narcotics and sharp objects inside without being checked. In the last few months, there have been multiple instances where women have been attacked with a blade in HKV. Installing security scanners could surely help. Currently, I don’t know of any other places except for Social that use a scanner.

Six months ago, there were four fights on a ladies night in a pub. The pub had two or three bouncers. How could they have handled the situation? Obviously, things became ugly and blood was spilled on the dance floor. 

HKV is close to colleges like NIFT, IIT, Gargi and Kamla Nehru, and so, underage students frequently end up drinking there. These kids can't handle their liquor and end up creating a ruckus. While underage drinking is prevalent everywhere, the Village is the poster child of underage drinking in Delhi.

The president of the National Restaurant Association of India, in the wake of this incident, is proposing standardised measures and certifications for the hiring of bouncers. If implemented, this measure may improve safety standards but still, it seems reactionary.