Belagavi, 27 July

Hundreds of women from Khodanpur village in Kittur taluk staged a protest on the premises of the Excise Department office in Belagavi on Monday, demanding the closure of liquor shops and a ban on the sale of alcohol in roadside dhabas in the village. 

The protesters, led by the Karnataka Bahujan Chaluvali Sangh, submitted a memorandum to the government through excise officials, urging action against liquor outlets within 7 days. Raising slogans against the government, the women alleged that alcohol abuse had ruined several families and pushed many into financial, medical and social distress.

The protesters alleged that many youths have suffered kidney and liver failure due to addiction to liquor, leaving families stranded on the streets. They added that school girls, farmers and women are facing severe difficulty in moving on the roads due to the menace of drunkards. The protesters further alleged that men in many households take the money the government deposits in the accounts of women as part of the ‘Gruha Lakhshmi ’ scheme and spend it directly on liquor. 

The villagers warned that if no action was taken, they would wage a fierce struggle against the liquor outlets. 

Geeta Poojari, a woman from Khodanpur village, urged the district administration to take this seriously. She said that her husband also died at the age of 25 due to alcoholism, and she is currently struggling to raise three little girls.