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ChakraView Festival flyer

Indian officials have cancelled this weekend’s Chakraview festival just hours before the massive three day ‘Ecological Festival’ was due to start near Agonda village in Goa (on February 5)

Local politician Deepak Desai told reporters he removed the license from the professionally organized psy-trance party after becoming concerned about potential drug use, following sudden widespread negative coverage in Indian media.

The media reports began just three days before Chakraview was due to start when the Goa Herald reporting that the festival was under the police scanner’. The India Times also weighed in, revealing that Canacona councilor Vijay Pai Khot had previously been unaware of the event though was now officially concerned.

“I do not know about it,: Councillor Khot told IANS, “ Festivals like this should not be allowed here’.

Goa police chief Yadav was similarly suddenly alarmed and vowed to investigate.

“I have asked them (subordinates) to check whether there are any illegalities,” he told the Times Of India, “If we find any illegality, we will stop the party.”

Scores of local and international DJs from Israel, Russia, Italy and beyond including Atomic Pulse, Z-Machine, Yeti and Arjuna were listed on the festival’s website and facebook page though details were removed from the main site one day before. The site otherwise made no reference to the cancellation and instead continued presenting itself as  ‘the first ecologic music festival in the most beautiful jungle of Agonda’.

Promising ‘3 days of life in the most basic form of earth . . . by the stream, with treehouses, organic farm, birds, flowers, fruits and all nature:  truely a haven!!  (sic)” the site also stressed that admission would be strictly controlled.

“The venue details will be restricted to the invitees of the festival,” the site message promised, “In order to guard the privacy and exclusivity of the festival by filtering the right people and energy.”

The 11th hour closure came days after state officials announced they are considering a ban on bikinis on all Goa’s beaches following the rape of a 9 year old Russian girl in broad daylight. Announcing the proposed bikini ban, Pamela Mascarenhas, deputy director of Goa Tourism, ‘blamed foreign tourists for bringing the assaults upon themselves’, IndiaToday reported.

“You can’t blame the locals; they have never seen such women,” Ms Mascarenhas suggested. “Foreign tourists must maintain a certain degree of modesty in their clothing. Walking on the beaches half-naked is bound to titillate the senses,” she explained.

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