Dehra Dun : It is something that the cops or for that matter the excise department should have done – preventing bootlegging. But with both paying a Nelson’s eye to the going on, for whatever reasons, the womenfolk of the region decided to take the matter in their hands.
And they did it in right earnest. The women of Badripur village in the outskirts of the capital city of Uttarakhand were at their wits end at the rampant supply of liquor in the village by the bootleggers. It not only was a drain in the household earning, but the men folk would often resort to domestic violence after getting drunk.
The women folk are reported to have complained to the concerned authorities time and again and even literally asked the bootleggers to stop because of the problems they were facing at home. But all pleas fell on deaf years as the bootleggers reportedly were making quick buck.
Finally enough was enough, and as the concerned departments continued to ignore the repeated pleas of the village women folk, they decided to take the matter in their hands. On Sunday evening, while business was going on at a brisk pace, they got together, surrounded the bootlegger’s house, dragged them out and started beating the hell out of them.
The police who learnt of the gherao and two bootleggers being beaten mercilessly, then reached the spot to save the bootleggers from further beating and arrested two of them, while the third managed to escape. They also recovered five cases of the illicit liquor and took it into custody.
However, the women folk took away the cases of the liquor and broke the bottles on the street. Later the women folk took out a procession raising slogans against the excise and police departments and themselves took a vow that no one would be allowed to sell liquor in their village.
A journalist with over 40 years of experience, Jagdish Bhatt was Editor, Hill Post (Uttarakhand).
Jagdish had worked with India’s leading English dailies, which include Times of India, Indian Express, Pioneer and several other reputed publications. A highly acclaimed journalist, he was a recipient of many awards
Jagdish Bhatt, aged 72, breathed his last on 28th August 2021 at his Dehradun residence.
