KULLU, July 15 — A new three-day music event has been advertised on various digital platforms despite recent strict interventions by the Himachal Pradesh High Court against unauthorized gatherings in the region. The event, titled “Psychedelic Forest Gathering”, is scheduled to take place at Fairy Forest in Pulga from September 4 to 6. The online promotional material invites attendees to gather in the deodar forests for an experience combining music and nature, providing a direct contact number for inquiries.
The development follows severe criticism from the High Court regarding previous unregulated gatherings held between June 7 and 11 at Green Forest-I and Green Forest-II near Grahan. Those commercial events attracted thousands of participants with ticket prices ranging between 10,000 and 16,000 rupees. The court subsequently ordered the registration of a First Information Report and mandated the creation of a Special Investigation Team to probe the matter, noting that the scale of the venue—featuring dozens of camping tents and private security—indicated administrative lapses. The situation escalated further following the death of a Russian disc jockey due to a suspected drug overdose during the June gathering.
Kullu Superintendent of Police Madan Lal Kaushal affirmed that the department is actively monitoring the valley to prevent any illegal activities. The Superintendent stated that the police have not received any information about a rave party planned for September. He maintained that no permission has been granted for such a party, declaring that regional officers and plainclothes personnel have been deployed across the valley to intercept unauthorized events.
The High Court had previously directed the administrative transfer of the Kullu Deputy Commissioner, the Superintendent of Police, and the concerned Sub-Divisional Magistrate within a week, though the orders await implementation. Former Nasha Nivaran Board convener OP Sharma maintained that the nature of these gatherings has transformed significantly since the 1990s. Sharma asserted that the events have evolved from small underground sessions into large commercial operations utilizing remote forests and private resorts. He stated that organizers frequently exploit the difficult terrain to evade enforcement and typically misrepresent the gatherings as cultural programs when applying for official permits.
