Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Locals, led by women, took to the streets on Sunday and burnt an effigy of the excise department in protest against the opening of a new liquor shop near Semra Gate in the Ashoka Garden area.
For over six days, hundreds of residents have been staging demonstrations, demanding that the liquor shop be relocated. They claim that the presence of shop in the vicinity will disrupt the peace of residential areas and local communities.
The demonstrators held a symbolic funeral procession before torching the effigy. Women protesters also hit it with slippers and shoes amid loud sloganeering.
Despite the continued protest, officials of the excise department have turned a blind eye and taken no action. Their failure to close or relocate the shop has left the locals fuming, however, they remain determined and not ready to give up.
The Ashoka Garden police rushed to the scene and tried to pacify the demonstrators. Residents, however, have warned of intensifying their protest if the liquor shop is not shifted.
Expressing concern about the liquor shop’s impact on women and children, the residents had earlier raised the issue at public hearings, but their concerns remain unaddressed.
In the last few days, the city has witnessed multiple protests across six residential zones. The residents of Malviya Nagar had earlier objected to the proposed relocation of a liquor shop close to residential area and places of worship. Following the backlash, the administration had to scrap the decision.
Similarly, protests at Rishipuram Tiraha led to the relocation of liquor shops in the area and the dismantling of illegal constructions.
Liquor units near DIG Bungalow, Bawadiyakalan Square, and Panchsheel Nagar have also faced similar opposition.
Residents are demanding removal of liquor shops to make Saint Hirdaram Nagar alcohol-free.
