Controversial ‘Sunburn Festival’ to be held in Mumbai’s Sewri

Event scheduled from December 19 to 21; Government grants approval

Mumbai – The Sunburn Festival, an event long criticised for causing significant revenue losses to the government and for the widespread presence of narcotic substances, has been scheduled to take place in Sewri, Mumbai, from December 19 to 21. The government has granted permission for the event.

In 2016, during the Sunburn Festival held in Pune, stamp duty amounting to ₹42,79,583 was evaded. Additionally, revenue of ₹60,52,383 from minor minerals illegally excavated for the event has still not been recovered. This information came to light through documents obtained under the Right to Information Act by Pune-based RTI activist Chandrakant Warghade (Patil). Moreover, 25 to 30 trees were illegally cut without permission from the Forest Department. More serious, however, is the festival’s history of allegedly drawing youth toward drug abuse. Citizens are questioning why such an event continues to receive support despite these controversies. The government has nonetheless approved the event in Sewri this December.

The festival held in Kesnand, Haveli Taluka, from December 28 to 31, 2016, violated several regulations : unauthorised excavation of minor minerals and cutting of trees. As a result, the Haveli tehsil office imposed fines on the organisers.

Revenue Department’s suspicious role

On 15 March 2017, MLAs Sunil Prabhu (Shiv Sena – UBT) and Bhimrao Tapkir (BJP) raised a starred question in the Legislative Assembly regarding recovery of dues from Percept, the festival’s organising company. Then-Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil responded in writing that ₹1,03,31,968 in revenue and stamp duty would be recovered. However, the tehsil’s penalty order was canceled by the divisional office in 2019—and the Revenue Department never challenged this in a higher court. Even the stamp duty recovery notice of ₹42,79,583 did not lead to actual legal action. This inaction has raised serious suspicions about the department’s conduct.

Ordinary people are penalised, but big organizers get protection; this is injustice : Chandrakant Warghade (Patil), RTI Activist, Pune

“If a poor farmer even digs a small pit in his field, the Revenue Department fines him. But Sunburn’s organisers are being protected by the government. Public revenue is being lost, yet no strict action is taken. That is why I am compelled to file complaints,” Warghade said while speaking to Sanatan Prabhat.

Controversial history of the Sunburn Festival

1. In 2009, attendee Neha Bahuguna (23) died; in 2014, Isha Mantri (27) died.

2. In 2019, attendees Sai Prasad, Venkat Satyanarayan, and Sandeep Kotta (from Bengaluru) allegedly died due to excessive drug use.

3. In 2024, Karan Kashyap (26) reportedly died from drug overdose.

4. In 2013, the Anti-Narcotics Cell arrested drug peddler Saurabh Agarwal at the festival; Police fined over 1,000 drug users.

5. Two days before the 2013 festival in Goa, 450 bottles of ketamine—a known “rape drug”—were seized; they were allegedly meant for distribution at the event.

6. The organisers evaded taxes worth ₹6.29 crore in Goa in 2009, 2014, and 2020. In September 2025, the Bombay High Court ordered seizure of ₹1.10 crore deposited as security.

Editorial Perspective

While Police and administration are conducting intense crackdowns against narcotics, permission is simultaneously being granted to an event associated with rampant drug usage. This contradiction is difficult to justify.