'Locking the stables after the horse is loose': Police raids to close down the liquor dens after the riots

In two days, the police became like ‘locking the stables after the horse is released’. After 40 people died due to consumption of country liquor in botad-Dhandhuka riots, the police started an exercise to close down liquor shops in the state. On the day of the raid and by Monday evening, most of the state’s known and reputed bootleggers’ liquor dens were closed. The effect of the lathicharge in the cities and rural areas of the state was seen on the police performance.

The police realized to clean up the liquor dens in the state but it was too late

In the wake of the Lattha incident, the police had started cracking down on liquor dens and bootleggers across the state. In cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara, as well as in other rural areas, the police had started an exercise to ensure that liquor dens do not continue under any circumstances.

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There is a debate among the people about this operation of the police that despite several complaints by the elements selling liquor or the people of the liquor dens, not all the complaints are acted upon by the police. However, the police have come to realize that the cleaning campaign has been delayed in order to protect the lives of the residents in the Lattha incident. It is widely discussed that liquor dens are running only with the connivance of police officers and administrators.

Most of the officers working in the police department have become administrators. By encouraging the elements involved in anti-social activities, the administrators are doing illegal business by taking installments. Many lives have been ruined due to drug addiction and liquor dens in the state but no strict action is taken. There is a discussion among the people that strict action is being taken by the police when incidents like riots happen.