Glenary’s bar & live music sections closed for 90 days, Edwards says move ‘politically motivated’
Times of India | 10 December 2025
Darjeeling: The iconic Glenary's Bakery and Café in Darjeeling, established in 1885, has shut its bar and live music section for 90 days following an excise department raid on Monday, the sudden closure coming at a time when tourism is at its peak in the hill town.
Excise department officials cited violations of rules related to live music and liquor, while Glenary's owner Ajoy Edwards alleged the raid was "politically motivated". The management said the closure has triggered a wave of cancellations during the winter festive season, when the popular hang-out-cum-dining destination is at its busiest.
Edwards, who is also chief convener of Indian Gorkha Janshakti Front, linked the raid to his involvement in ‘Gorkhaland Bridge', a community-funded project that was inaugurated on Sunday.
The 140-ft bridge over the Balason river, around 18km from Darjeeling town, was built through "voluntary labour" by local villagers and without any govt contribution. Edwards supplied cement and steel rods for the construction.
"This action (the excise raid) was because of Gorkhaland Bridge. I am not worried, I will explore legal options," he said.
Deputy excise collector Saranya Barik said, "Under Section 239 of West Bengal Excise (Foreign Liquor) Rules, prior approval from the excise collector is mandatory to host live music or singing performances on licensed premises. In this case, performances were being held without the required permission. So, a 90-day closure has been slapped on the bar and singing bar."
According to the excise "order sheet", the case was started after irregularities were detected during an inspection on Oct 30.
The violations flagged by the dept include non-maintenance of regular/accurate accounts, non-attestation of accounts by the licensee or authorised representative, holding performance entertainment/dance/live band without written permission and storage of foreign liquor on unauthorised premises. The "order sheet" also mentions that alterations had been made to the licensed premises without the excise collector's approval.
Glenary's manager Ashok Tamang said, "It was business as usual on Monday when suddenly excise department officials arrived and started inspecting our documents. All our papers are in order. But they soon started sealing the bar counters and packing away the liquor stock. We were told that we did not have a valid singing bar licence."
Tamang said the excise officials threatened that if the bar and the singing section were opened before 90 days, they would order a nine-month closure. "With Christmas and New Year coming up, this is the most crucial time for us. We have already lost nearly 50% of our business. There are around 250 employees. Their livelihood is at stake," he said.