Mumbai Mirror Stands By Its Report on Cafe Zoe “Raid”

Vasant Dhoble.

After the owners of Cafe Zoe questioned the veracity of a report in the Mumbai Mirror that called a raid on their establishment on Friday, June 8, well, a “raid”, the tabloid has hit back, saying it is “easy to expose the half-truths” in the restaurant’s denial posted on Facebook (read it here), and suggesting that Zoe’s fact checking team “practice what they are preaching”. In contention is what in fact can be qualified as a raid. According to Mumbai Mirror, the “raid” on Cafe Zoe was confirmed by dementor-in-waiting ACP Vasant Dhoble and others present at the restaurant on Friday night. “Someone from the management also came in to tell a group of expats to leave. I heard him say, ‘It’s a raid, please leave,’” businessman Shimul Doshi is quoted as saying. The owners of Cafe Zoe were unavailable when we tried to contact them this morning. Raid or no raid, the only thing that matters is what Dhoble said and did, which was to start shooting with his handy video camera and send people scattering. “As soon as I entered people began to leave but the place seemed to be overflowing,” he said. Which means, if you’re braving the bars this weekend, you’d be advised to get familiar with Dhoble’s mug stat.

Update: Cafe Zoe has responded to Mumbai Mirror’s response with another Facebook post, this one reiterating that they “refute the dramatic tone” of the article “which implied ‘near pandemonium and chaos’”. Read the response below:

Page 6?
We got used to better from you Mumbai Mirror.

In response, at no point did we refute that ACP Vasant Dhoble entered Café Zoe and checked all our licensing on Friday night. We also did not refute being fined for Dj-ing and overcrowding by the Asst. Commissioner of Police. The unauthorized gas cilinders issue was settled the next morning when presenting the adequate paperwork. The other charges were settled in court on Monday.

However, we do refute the dramatic tone used the in the Mumbai Mirror article which implied ‘near pandemonium and chaos’ – which it was not. When the ACP came to the restaurant, the lights were on, the music was off and the service was finished. Patrons were clearing their bills and getting ready to leave. ACP Dhoble was extremely courteous towards our guests, our staff and us. No one was detained or harassed. This was clearly mentioned during the owner’s interview with the Mumbai Mirror journalist. Yet it was completely dismissed in your article. Mumbai Mirror decided to make a sensational article and it is our right to correct that.

Concerning your fact-checking work: beyond the fact that your journalist was conveniently not aware of the other so called “raids” that very same night, the fine amounts brought forward by your paper were heavily exaggerated.

In any case, at Café Zoe we are not in the business of relating news to the world as you are Mumbai Mirror. It is not our job to do the fact-checking. It is yours. But it is our right to point out errors when they occur. We are in the business of serving food and would like to focus on that if you don’t mind. Equally, would you have any suggestions or recommendations on the food being served at Café Zoe we are all ears and will be happy to entertain these!

Cheers from the Café Zoe team!