Condemnations are escalating against the government’s decision of allowing the sale of alcoholic drinks like beer in departmental stores of Jammu and Kashmir.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) staged a protest outside the party office in Srinagar and also in Jammu district against the order while Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) mayor Junaid Mattu also aired his resentment against the decision.
A group of PDP leaders and activists raised slogans against the government while demanding rollback of the liquor order in Srinagar. Some activists were later taken into custody to break the protest, but subsequently released.
“The government has allowed the sale of alcohol in retail shops. We protested against this order. Please don’t normalise the consumption of alcohol in J&K. Why are there double standards? On one hand we see Gujarat is declared a dry state and on the other hand you are allowing alcohol in every home in the union territory,” said a protester.
The protesters said the order goes contrary to the campaign which the government is running against drug addiction. “Isn’t alcohol using an entry point into further use of drugs? That is why every section of society is against this order. The imams, the political parties and the civil society in Kashmir are opposing this. Even in Jammu, which is the city of temples, the government is turning it into the city of alcohol. There is resentment in Jammu as well,” he said.
On October 10, the J&K’s Administrative Council (AC) chaired by the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, approved the proposal for authorising departmental stores to sell beer and other ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages in urban areas.
A government spokesperson said the departmental stores should be selling a minimum of six of the category of items including grocery items, frozen foods, confectionery or bakery items, toiletries, cosmetics, household goods, utensils/kitchenware, sports items, electrical/electronic appliances, apparels and stationery. In addition, no application for the grant of licence shall be considered for departmental stores functioning at petrol pumps as per the said decision.
SMC mayor Junaid Azim Mattu also castigated the government for the decision. “I strongly and unequivocally condemn and will vehemently oppose the decision to allow the sale of liquor in departmental stores in Jammu & Kashmir. I implore the administration to rescind the decision in deference to the sentiments of the people,” he said in a tweet.
On Friday, Imam of Dargah Hazratbal, the most revered shrine in Kashmir, Kamal Ahmad Farooqi also demanded a complete ban on liquor in Jammu & Kashmir. “There should be an immediate ban on liquor. If we see comparative religion, even in Hindu religion, alcohol is prohibited. Kashmir is a place of Rishis, a pious place, a place of Sufi saints and we won’t allow it to be defiled. I appeal to the government to immediately close the liquor shops,” he said.
Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), a representative amalgam of some 30 Islamic religious and educational organisations of Kashmir, Wednesday harshly reacted against the administration’s approval to the proposal for sale of alcohol, saying that such directives show utter disregard for the tenants of Islam which deeply hurt the sentiments of Muslims in J&K.
“Open sale of alcohol in departmental stores will further promote addiction which is a major issue in Kashmir especially among our youth, something that the authorities also claim to be concerned about. It will also encourage immoral behaviour,” the MMU said in a statement. “While consumption of alcohol is banned in many states of India, why is it being encouraged here?,” the body questioned.
