No Beer, Only Water: 2,000 Women March To Bengaluru Demanding Ban On Liquor In Karnataka

Around 2000 women from rural areas of Karnataka marched to Vidhana Soudha in the state capital on Wednesday, January 30 demanding a state-wide liquor ban.

Reportedly, the march was held under the banner ‘Beer Beda Neer Beku’ was being led by the Madyapana Nishedha Andolana and includes members from various organisations like Grameena Kooli Karmika Sanghatane, Kissan Sanghatane, Swaraj India, Swaraj Abhiyan among others.

The march was started in the Chitradurga district of the state on January 19 and covered more than 200kms to reach Bengaluru in just ten days. According to The News Minute, the march stopped in as many as nine villages where they formally interacted with the villagers to make them aware of the dangers of alcohol use. The march has women from as many as 23 districts of the state and every day, the women covered about 20 kilometres.

They march with blisters on their feet

The women on January 29 arrived in Bengaluru, some of them with even blisters on their feet and stayed at a makeshift shelter in Malleswaram, reported News18. On January 28, a 60-year-old woman who was part of the foot march was killed when a motorcycle knocked her down near Nelamangala, on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

The death angered the protestors, who have blamed the Governor. Reportedly, Ravi Krishna Reddy, who is heading the protest as saying, police and medical facilities were not provided for the women’s march.

With the aim of highlighting the ill-effects of liquor consumption, the large group of women help public meetings and rallies along their way in a number of villages in several villages of Karnataka. Most of the women have said that their family members, including sons and spouses, have fallen prey to the problem of alcohol abuse as the liquor is so easily available. Several men were also a part of the march and many of their family members have been victims of alcoholism.

Reportedly, Kannada writer Devanooru Mahadeva and social worker SR Hiremath have also written to the chief minister urging him to ban the use of alcohol. Responding to the ongoing demands, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has said, “It is not possible to have a complete ban on alcohol which provides such high revenue for the state. Earlier, as the Chief Minister I had banned arrack,” reported News18.

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