Pune's High Spirits Café, which is one of the most popular party and hangout joints in the city, has been accused of several sexual harassment incidents. The sexual assault allegations that have come up against the owner of the pub Khodu Irani so numerous that it can be easily compared with the recent Harvey Weinstein scandal in Hollywood.
Also read: Harvey Weinstein's decades of sexual assault allegations: Check how celebs reacted
Earlier this week, Sheena Dabolkar, a blogger, has accused the Koregaon hotspot and its owner in a series of tweets for sexual harassment and bullying. On the thread, she described all the incidents she had seen and experienced herself.
Following her tweets, several other women came forward with allegations of similar experiences at the Koregaon Park pub. In the meantime, some people have also been calling her allegations baseless and false.
I want High Spirits management to seek professional help. And I want anybody who has endured harassment by mgmt or patrons to be supported.
— Sheena (@weeny) October 13, 2017
I want women who work at High Spirits to be valued and treated professionally. Even IF it is a bar.
— Sheena (@weeny) October 13, 2017
Oh my god. On High Spirits and the intersection of power and class (see linked tweets) https://t.co/Ueiqf1BrYk
— Sheena (@weeny) October 13, 2017
Unfortunately for High Spirits my apparent lies keep bringing out some real truths pic.twitter.com/OISPgv0JCx
— Sheena (@weeny) October 13, 2017
I'm back to say eat shit High Spirits pic.twitter.com/n73w0FcLjd
— Sheena (@weeny) October 13, 2017
Mmkay then High Spirits I'm a liar pic.twitter.com/wymyJJJoxc
— Sheena (@weeny) October 13, 2017
I was once on stage at High Spirits when Khodu jumped onto stage and groped me, you know, coz I'm overweight.
— Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) October 14, 2017
I'm not joking. I remember going why the fuck did you do that, that was uncool. But you know, what's the point. Dudes gotto be dudes, right?
— Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) October 14, 2017
I knew about this behaviour at High Spirits since 2016. Heard about it from friends. I stopped taking shows there-but I never mentioned why.
— Aditi (@awryaditi) October 14, 2017
so proud of my girl @weeny .. we are all here.. backup! holler! #HighSpirits #goinggoinggone #sisterhood #feminismInIndia #RiseUp
— Sapna Moti Bhavnani (@sapnabhavnani) October 14, 2017
Apart from that, many comedians like Aditi Mittal, Tanmay Bhat, Varun Grover, and many have raised their hands in support by deciding to boycott the place.
This is nothing new as the pub is also accused of creating a sexist meme of her last year. They also shared it on their Facebook page.
All those asking for the meme on High Spirits page from last year, here it is. I happen to think I look bangin' in that photoshop btw. pic.twitter.com/PRQiCIKgX3
— Sheena (@weeny) October 13, 2017
However, a spokesperson of High Spirits refuted all the allegations and said in a statement (according to BuzzFeed) that 'a single person' wants to 'tarnish the reputation of a bar.'
"We are deeply shocked and saddened by the allegations, and completely deny the same. It appears these lies are emanating from a single person, with an agenda, who appears to be motivated by the desire to tarnish the reputation of a bar that has an unblemished record of not having any issues like this arise in its premises in all 13 years of its existence.
Women's Safety has always been a top priority of ours, and all our efforts have been channelled to ensure that this is not compromised. Right from the point when any customer, man or woman, enters the premises until they leave the outlet, we have tried to secure every aspect of their experience. We have female bouncers for security, female administration staff to ensure assistance and vigilance for female patrons, and even screened rickshaw drivers for female patrons, to make sure women get home safe."
