Spirited eves lay liquor shop low

The country liquor shop, at survey number 75/23, was inaugurated on a busy street near the Sahakarnagar police station a couple of days back.

Women residents were angry as the shop had been started in spite of their objection that it would be a public nuisance. They had argued that the liquor shop would promote alcoholism and that the site was close to a school and a temple.

Women in the area met on September 18 and decided to ransack the shop. Hundreds of them `raided’ it and ransacked it on Monday morning.

Shop manager Raghunath More lodged a first information report saying his shop was ransacked by over 50 people led by Jagtap.

More said he was serving liquor to customers when “Jagtap and his supporters barged inside and wanted to know if I had a licence to set up the shop. They ransacked the shop. Liquor bottles were broken, glasses shattered and furniture damaged as the mob went on rampage. They manhandled me and my colleague Nishikant Khirid when we protested”.

The FIR, however, did not name any of the demonstrators except for the Congress corporator who led the angry women.

Later, on the basis of the FIR, the Sahakarnagar police slapped Jagtap and 50 women with following charges being member of unlawful assembly (section 143 of Indian Penal Code), rioting (section 147 of Indian Penal Code), committing the offence in association with each other (section 149 of Indian Penal Code), voluntarily causing hurt (section 323 of Indian Penal Code), mischief and causing damage (section 427 of Indian Penal Code) and insult intended to provoke breach of peace (section 504 of Indian Penal Code). The police said the licence was issued in the name of Ramchandra Malhari Shinde. Rajendra Agarwal was running the shop, they said.