125 booked for protesting against liquor shop in Barmer

Police registered a case against 125 people who protested against opening of a liquor shop in a residential area in Barmer.

The case, registered on Sunday evening, named 21 protesters and the police were trying to identify others with the help of CCTV footage.

City police station in-charge Bhanwarlal Sirvi said, “People blocked a road for many hours on Saturday. After getting permission from higher authorities, we filed the case.”

The excise department recently allotted new licences for running liquor shops for two years. Licence holders opened shops on April 1, the first day of the new financial year.

Protesting against a new shop in Chohtan road area, hundreds of men and women blocked the road. Police and excise department officials reached the spot and persuaded the people to end the protest, but they refused.

“There are four liquor shops in the area and the new one is situated near a temple,” said a woman protester. Another women said, “Anti-social elements and drunk people roam around the shops; it is difficult for us to come out of our houses.”

People ended their protest after excise officials assured them that the liquor shop would be shifted out of their area, police said.

The excise department earned about ₹6,700 crore in 2015-16, and had set a target of ₹7,300 crore for the current financial year, officials said.

The government’s encouragement to increase excise revenue has also triggered protests against liquor shops. Last year, women refused to allow nine liquor shops to open in Alwar city.

People voted for liquor ban in Kacchabali panchayat in Rajsamand district and Rozda pachayat in Jaipur.

In Barmer, hooch claimed 17 lives, including some BSF personnel, in April last year.