Jammu Tawi: Sunil Dimple, president of the Mission Statehood Jammu Kashmir, along with hundreds of people and traders, led a strong protest rally on Janipur High Court Road, calling for a ban on the sale of liquor and wine in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in Jammu, Katra, and other religious cities. Addressing the protesters, Dimple demanded that Home Minister Amit Shah, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah take swift action during the ongoing criminal laws meeting in Delhi, chaired by Amit Shah. He called for a decision to be made at this meeting to ban liquor sales in the region. Dimple also called on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and all 90 members of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly to introduce a bill to ban the sale of wine and liquor in Jammu city, Katra, and Kashmir. He warned of a widespread agitation across the region if the government fails to implement a liquor ban.
Additionally, Dimple accused the “outsider liquor mafia” of colluding with BJP leaders, corporators, and local businesses to monopolize the liquor industry in Jammu and Kashmir. He alleged that the sale of liquor has increased since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, with new wine shops being sold to higher bidders, thus profiting at the expense of the local community. He demanded that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah direct the excise department to halt the sale of tenders for new wine shops in March 2025, warning that new liquor shops should not be allowed to open in the region, especially if they are run by outsiders.
