Posters urging tourists to avoid alcohol and drugs removed by J-K police from Lal Chowk, row erupts in Valley

On Friday, the traders at Srinagar’s historic Lal Chowk put up posters asking tourists to respect local culture and traditions.

The posters that were put up near the iconic clock tower – a major attraction for the tourists in Srinagar – read: “Welcome dear tourists. The Traders Association Central Lal chowk invites you to experience the beauty of our heaven on earth. For a  memorable and  enjoyable trip, we kindly request: Love and cherish your family, avoid liquor, drugs, spitting  on roads and smoking. Respect our culture and traditions. Stay blessed and enjoy time in our enchanting city”.

As the pictures of the posters went viral on social media, police removed them. A shopkeeper at Lal Chowk said that the police removed the posters on Friday evening itself.

People cutting across party lines have criticised the police action.

National Conference leader and Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah said the people of Kashmir have a “right to preserve and protect their culture and faith”.

“The colonial L-G administration in cahoots with the security forces, has turned Kashmir into an Orwellian nightmare – where people can’t protest, safeguard their identity or even speak for their culture,” Ruhullah wrote in a post on X on Saturday.

“Even appealing to tourists to respect local sensitivities is now illegal in Kashmir. Will @JmuKmrPolice clarify which law was violated by the signboard? Or is the only law in place the one that silences Kahsmiris,” he wrote.

Warning that “suppression breeds resentment”, Ruhullah said the “more you push Kashmiris to the wall, the stronger their will to break it down”.

Valley’s chief priest Mirwaiz Umar Farooq termed the police action “strange and unfortunate” and questioned the motive behind it.

“Why were the signboards seized? What exactly is wrong in urging tourists to respect local culture, avoid alcohol and use of drugs, and keep the city clean? Is promoting moral values and decency now a crime in Kashmir?” Mirwaiz asked.

Three legislators — PDP’s Fayaz Ahamd Mir, National Conference’s Ahsan Pardesi and Awami Ittehad Party’s (AIP) Sheikh Khursheed Ahmad – have moved separate private members’ Bills in the Assembly seeking ban on sale of liquor in the UT.

On Saturday, Iltija Mufti launched a signature campaign against drug abuse and seeking a ban on liquor. “Alcohol is wrecking lives & families in J&K. We must come together to put an end to it before it’s too late,” Iltija said in a post on X.

Speaking on the police action, Iltija Mufti said: “It was completely unwarranted. There are multiple videos of inebriated tourists – some are peeing into the Dal lake. This is just not about alcohol. It’s also about respecting basic societal norms and etiquette. If Gujarat can be declared a dry state, the logic is more strong for a Muslim-majority UT like J&K.”