Let’s start with the media circus. The invitations, as it were, from the Mumbai Police to television and print before the raid was set to happen. Publicity may be a good thing, a morale booster when there’s something good being accomplished — the solving of a murder, say, or busting of a gang of counterfeiters. When it comes to demeaning people who are simply trying to have a nice night out, however, this need for publicity needs to be looked at with a little more cynicism.

Then there’s the unnecessarily demeaning manner in which attendees were treated after being picked up. The cramming together in vans, parading at hospitals, searches, inefficient manner of data gathering — what exactly did it manage to accomplish?