Sirsa villagers up in arms over construction of ‘liquor shop’

Tension arose in Nuhianwali village near Ghukanwali Road in Sirsa district on Wednesday, when area residents objected to a construction at a site, suspecting that a liquor shop was being built there. Villagers — including several women — approached the Odhan police station to express their anger. They claimed that the construction, taking place near a biomass pellet plant, was being carried out by former village sarpanch Ramkumar Nehra.

Advertisement

According to them, a liquor shop was being constructed at the site, which is situated in a residential area. Villagers said they feared it would negatively impact the community, and demanded that the shop not be allowed to operate there. Station House Officer (SHO) Gajraj Singh said the police had no authority over the location of liquor shops.

“This matter falls under the jurisdiction of the Excise Department,” he said. “People should contact the Deputy Commissioner (DC) or SDM regarding this issue.”

After the explanation, the villagers returned peacefully.

In response to the local unrest, the Odhan police visited the village to assess the situation. At the site, Nehra clarified that he was constructing a shop on his private farmland, and had no intention of opening a liquor outlet. “Some people are misleading villagers,” he said, while adding, “We have every right to build structures on our own land.” The police told villagers that unless the Excise Department officially selected the site for a liquor shop, no licence could be issued. No one had the right to forcibly stop construction on private property, the police added. — OC