Women’s role in illegal liquor trade rampant

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 2

The spurious liquor tragedy that has claimed over 100 lives in the region in the past three days has brought to the fore the fact that the involvement of women in facilitating the trade cannot be ignored.

The Punjab Police have arrested four women liquor smugglers from Amritsar, Batala and Tarn Taran among 25 persons during raids conducted in the state in the past three days.

Yesterday, the rural police arrested a man for selling illicit liquor and also booked his wife in the case. On Friday, it booked two women among four members of a family for selling illicit liquor.

There is no specific data about how many women were involved in the trade, a senior police official said, adding the number was quite high and had increased considerably in the past two decades.

“The police remain gender-neutral on this count. We catch everyone involved in a crime,” said IG, Border Range, SPS Parmar, while talking to The Tribune. He said a crackdown had been launched and whosoever was indulging in the illicit trade would be taken to task.

“The involvement of women in the illicit drug or liquor trade is not new. In fact, it is usually a family business. If the men are outside for some work, the women supply the liquor to the customers,” said an official.