The extended hours of a Chennai pub during the World Cup final led to a disturbing incident that has ignited widespread condemnation of news channels such as Thanthi TV, Polimer News, News Tamil 24×7, etc for their biased and derogatory coverage of women patrons.
On the night of the World Cup final, a pub on Turn Bulls Road in Chennai allegedly violated the mandated curfew by remaining open past midnight. The police arrived, responding to a complaint, and enforced the closure of the establishment. However, it was the presence of news channels that escalated the situation, with reporters critiquing the attire and conduct of the women patrons.
Reports from the Saidapet police confirmed the pub’s violation of operating hours, leading to necessary police action and the filing of an FIR. What ensued, however, was a questionable focus by news channels on the women present at the pub. The coverage, aired on television, depicted reporters chasing women, taking their pictures, and making derogatory remarks about their behaviour.
Women leaving the pub were hounded by news channels, with cameramen insisting on capturing their faces, disregarding their objections and attempts to protect their privacy. Some women were even told to die when expressing reluctance to be filmed. The news channels labelled the women as “high on booze” and termed the incident as “social destruction,” further fuelling the controversy.
The manner of reporting, characterised by derogatory comments and insinuations about women’s conduct, triggered outrage on social media. The reporters and video cameraman of Thanthi TV can be seen chasing Many criticised the media for unfairly targeting the women at the pub and perpetuating a misogynistic narrative. Thanthi TV faced significant backlash for initially blaming the women for an alleged “all-night alcohol party” and persistently focusing on them, even after editing their social media post.
Here is Thanthi TV’s thumbnail on the news item, it caption reads, “Enjoyment in Chennai Pub… Lovebirds who got caught in the raid, covered their faces and ran away”. The thumbnail reads, “Enjoyment in Chennai pub, lovebirds caught in raid, ran helter skelter wearing a veil. We will roam in groups…. and shout ayyo”
Thanthi TV had posted on their X handle but later deleted after the backlash.
This post reads, “Booze party until dawn… Police denied their entry… Women wearing clothes immodestly and ran away.”
Polimer News whose posts have been deleted now wrote, “Who is in the bar? Look at ‘Bacardi’ Akka…! Colourful drunkards run away…! We lost the match… so we are drinking..!”
The image shared in the X post also says the same thing as mentioned above.
News Tamil 24×7 post said, “In the bar, in a dizzy state, the young people (the word used is a slur for young) ran helter-skelter… Intoxicated rich girls who blabbered…! In our Chennai only…!”
By the evening of 21 November 2023, all the controversial posts on social media platform X were deleted.
While on the one hand, these channels were moral policing the women, on the other The News Minute tried to save face for Thanthi TV by pulling in Polimer News in its report. Here is the byline of the article they wrote on the issue.
The Saidapet police, under whose jurisdiction the pub falls, acknowledged receiving a complaint. They stated that news channels arrived at the scene before the police, making it challenging to prevent them from covering the events.
The police are currently conducting an inquiry to determine if the pub violated closing hours, with no FIR registered as of now.
What Happened At The Pub
According to a report by The News Minute, a group of five men arrived at the pub around 11:20 pm and demanded entry, but the pub, citing a dress code requiring men to wear shoes, declined. Additionally, the pub informed them that it was closing for the day and not admitting more customers.
Initial reports from Tamil news channels alleged that the pub exceeded Tamil Nadu’s mandated closing time of 11:30 pm. However, according to bar staff interviewed by TNM, they had informed the intoxicated men that current patrons were finishing their last drinks and would soon leave.
Subsequently, the group lingered outside, threatening to assault any exiting customers. A media person arrived at the scene, inquiring about the commotion and attempting to enter. CCTV footage obtained by TNM captured a scuffle between the group and the bar’s bouncers. The footage depicted a man, identified as a News Tamil 24*7 reporter, trying to forcefully enter the bar, accompanied by at least six others.
The altercation escalated after midnight, prompting the arrival of more media personnel and the police. A senior police officer confirmed responding to a control room call and noted that the situation appeared retaliatory. The police mentioned that one of the men had informed the reporter about the disturbance.
Contradicting this, when questioned by TNM, the reporter claimed he rushed to the scene based on a tip-off related to his crime beat. He asserted attempting to force the door open to inspect the situation inside.
Interestingly, despite being the first on the scene, News Tamil 24*7 did not broadcast the story until Monday evening. Although no FIR was filed, police sources indicated that the bar owner was required to submit an undertaking promising compliance with regulations.
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