Protestors — who included staff, management and some family members of the sealed institutions as well as other institutions — said the action was a completely knee-jerk reaction. “The hospitality industry is being targeted wrongly. cancelling the F3 license and sealing of institutions has led to staff being immediately unemployed and thrown out on the streets,” said a protestor. Members of these institutions have questioned why the authorities woke up and took action now instead of carrying out regular inspections and finding out if there were unauthorised constructions and illegal activities.

The protestors said the hospitality industry gives employment to over 60,000 people and supports many families.

“The accident was extremely unfortunate – but the police should have kept regular check posts for identifying drunken and driving cases,” said a statement issued by Ajinkya Shinde, vice president of United Hospitality Association. Shinde also questioned the lack of regular checks by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Excise department. Shinde said this targeting constituted harassment towards an industry which is susceptible to harassment.

Many of the protestors said they had loans to service as well as pay fees and medical expenses. This action meant they would immediately be left unemployed. “Some thought should have been taken before taking such action,” they said.

After the accident, massive anti-encroachment drives were taken up which saw the PMC razing two resturants to the ground. Residents of many places like Kalyani Nagar and Koregaon Park have been protesting against the long hours restaurants and bars operate. The recent actions have been welcomed by them.