JAMMU, May 18: Sunil Dimple, President of Mission Statehood Jammu Kashmir, today led a strong protest rally on Janipur High Court Road demanding a complete ban on the sale of liquor and closure of wine shops across Jammu and Kashmir.
During the protest held under the banner of the “Nasha Mukt Abhiyan,” demonstrators raised slogans against the Excise Department policies and burnt effigies in protest against the growing number of wine shops in Jammu city and other areas of the Union Territory.
Addressing the protesters, Sunil Dimple alleged that after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and the conversion of Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory, nearly 300 wine shops were opened in Jammu city alone. He claimed that this had encouraged liquor consumption and negatively impacted the youth and society.
Dimple further alleged that elected representatives of the Bharatiya Janata Party, including former corporators and civic representatives in the Jammu Municipal Corporation, facilitated the opening of wine shops by issuing No Objection Certificates (NOCs). He also accused some leaders of having business interests in liquor outlets.
Warning of a larger agitation, Sunil Dimple said that if immediate action was not taken to ban liquor sales, he would call for a Jammu and Kashmir bandh. He appealed to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to convene a cabinet meeting and impose a complete ban on liquor sales in the Union Territory.
He stated that his organization would fully support any government decision aimed at prohibiting liquor sales in Jammu and Kashmir and warned that the agitation would be intensified in the coming days.
Dimple also criticized political parties for not taking a clear stand on the issue and alleged that despite having legislators from Jammu, no legislation had been introduced in the Assembly to prohibit liquor sales.
Citing survey figures, he claimed that crores of liquor and beer bottles were sold annually in Jammu city and linked liquor consumption to rising cases of domestic violence, divorce, and health-related problems. He urged the administration to consider liquor prohibition as a major step in combating drug abuse and protecting the younger generation.
Appealing directly to the Lieutenant Governor, Dimple said anti-drug campaigns would remain ineffective unless liquor sales were banned.
Several senior leaders and supporters, including Dev Raj, Kala Kumar, Vipan, Mukesh, Rakesh Sharma, Ram Kumar Das, Akbar Khan, Shafi Khan, Nazier Ahmad, Nasir and others, were also present during the protest demonstration.