KASOL, JUNE 13: Allegations that rave parties in the Parvati Valley promote narcotics abuse appeared to gain credence after the Special Task Force (STF) Kullu and Manikaran Police recovered cocaine, LSD, ecstasy pills and cannabis during a joint raid at a rave party being organised at Grahan village near Kasol.
The action came after a series of reports highlighting concerns over the ongoing "Munch Party" rave festival in HimbuMail, organised by Munch Production, which began on June 7.
Following the recovery of drugs, authorities banned the event, bringing the controversial gathering under the scanner.
According to police sources, an STF Kullu team, accompanied by personnel from Manikaran Police Station, conducted a late-night raid at the rave venue on June 9.
During the operation, police recovered 0.96 grams of cocaine from the possession of Rahul Sai (33), a resident of Ernakulam, Kerala. A case under Section 21 of the NDPS Act was registered as FIR No. 49/2026 at Manikaran Police Station.
In a separate recovery during the same operation, police seized 2.07 grams of cannabis, 1.31 grams of cocaine, two ecstasy pills and one LSD paper strip containing five doses from Chirrag Bhatia (32), a resident of Mohali, Punjab. FIR No. 50/2026 was registered under Sections 20, 21 and 22 of the NDPS Act.
The recoveries have strengthened concerns raised by local residents and anti-drug campaigners that rave parties often serve as meeting points for drug users and peddlers.
The seizure of cocaine, LSD and ecstasy — substances rarely associated with casual use — has intensified scrutiny of such gatherings.
The latest incident has also triggered uncomfortable questions for the administration. Residents and social activists are asking why permission continues to be granted for rave parties and so-called "full moon parties" when repeated police raids over the years have resulted in the recovery of narcotics.
Critics argue that these events have increasingly become synonymous with drug abuse and trafficking, tarnishing the image of the tourism-dependent Parvati Valley. The raves are organized by some Israelis who teamed up with locals who enjoy polical protection.
Many locals contend that while music festivals are promoted as tourism events, law enforcement agencies routinely find themselves conducting anti-narcotics operations at the same venues.
"If drugs are repeatedly being recovered from such gatherings, authorities need to explain the basis on which permissions are granted and what safeguards are in place," said a local resident.
Investigators are now trying to trace the source of the drugs recovered during the Grahan raid.
Police officials said efforts are underway to identify suppliers and determine whether a larger network was operating behind the event.
The incident has once again reignited the debate over whether commercial rave festivals in the ecologically fragile Parvati Valley are contributing more to the local economy or to the region's growing narcotics problem.
With two NDPS cases registered and multiple synthetic drugs recovered, pressure is mounting on the government to review its policy on permitting such events and to ensure stricter accountability from organisers.
