KULLU/SHIMLA, JULY 12: Barely days after the controversial Grahan rave party in Kasol came under the scanner of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, rave culture has raised its ugly head again in the Parvati Valley.
A fresh social media campaign is openly promoting a three-day "psychedelic forest gathering" at Pulga, barely 10 km from Kasol on the opposite side of the valley, raising serious questions over whether organisers have any fear of the police, district administration, judiciary or other enforcement agencies.
An Instagram post promoting the "Karahana Project" invites participants to gather at the Fairy Forest in Pulga from September 4 to 6, 2026, promising an immersive experience where "psytrance meets the Himalayas."
The organisers describe the event as a three-day celebration of music, nature and connection under towering deodar trees, openly advertising what they call one of India's most magical psychedelic forest gatherings.
The fresh promotion comes even as the Himachal Pradesh High Court continues to scrutinise the handling of the Grahan rave party in Kasol.
The court had reportedly expressed serious concern over administrative inaction and ordered the transfer of the Kullu Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of Police and the SDM, sending a strong message on accountability.
Yet, despite the ongoing judicial scrutiny, organisers appear to be fearlessly promoting another similar event in the same valley, prompting questions over the effectiveness of enforcement and intelligence gathering by the police and civil administration.
For years, the picturesque Parvati Valley has earned notoriety as a destination for illegal rave parties where, according to residents and enforcement agencies, narcotic substances, alcohol and all-night electronic dance music have often gone hand in hand.
Members of civil society allege that these gatherings have turned fragile forest landscapes into venues where drugs, dance and liquor flow unchecked, leaving behind plastic waste, damaged ecology and a growing drug culture that tarnishes Himachal Pradesh's tourism image.
Environmentalists have repeatedly warned that organising large gatherings inside or adjoining forest areas threatens biodiversity, disturbs wildlife, generates enormous quantities of waste and increases the risk of forest fires in one of the Himalayas' most ecologically sensitive regions.
The latest social media campaign has renewed demands for the Kullu district administration, Himachal Pradesh Police, Forest Department and Narcotics Control agencies to clarify whether permission has been sought or granted for the proposed event and whether preventive action will be taken before thousands of revellers descend on Pulga.
With the High Court already monitoring the fallout of the Kasol controversy, many believe the proposed Pulga event will be a crucial test of whether the administration has learnt any lessons or whether rave organisers continue to operate with impunity in the Parvati Valley.
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