Pune Excise Suspends Mundhwa Restobar Licence After Freshers’ Party Chaos
Mundhwa, 21st August 2025: The state excise department in Pune has suspended the liquor licence of a Mundhwa-based restobar Pivo Garten following a chaotic freshers’ party on Monday night, attended by over 800 students from MIT College, Kothrud.
The gathering, Unofficial Freshers 4.0, turned disorderly as students clashed with residents outside the restobar and a nearby pub in Pingle Vasti, hurling abuses and engaging in scuffles. Excise and police teams rushed to the scene to control the situation.
Pune Excise Superintendent Atul Kanade said, “We suspended the establishment’s liquor licence last night for violating licence conditions. The restobar failed to maintain proper registers and records, did not verify whether patrons were of legal drinking age, and served liquor without checking IDs. Moreover, neither the event management company nor the restobar obtained the mandatory permit from our department before organising the party.”
The Aug 18 incident has sparked widespread outrage in Koregaon Park and Mundhwa, with residents decrying the disruption caused by pubs and restobars in the area.
Social activist Gauri Pingle submitted a letter on Thursday, backed by signatures from 15 housing societies in Pingle Vasti and Mundhwa, urging authorities—including the police, excise department, and district collector—to take strict action against the nuisance caused by pubs and restaurants.
“Monday’s behaviour was unacceptable,” Pingle said. “Our campaign seeks a stricter approach to curb disturbances from late-night parties and rowdy crowds.”
Questions have also been raised over the police response to students from the Paud Road educational institution, including alleged violations such as underage drinking and drunken driving. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone V) Rajkumar Shinde confirmed that cases have been registered against the restobar owners Faiz Ali, Aksha Kariya, manager Sachin Maruti, and event management company EDM World Company’s Akshay Shriniwas Swami, Rishabh Ravindra Khade and Ayush Prashant Bajaj.
