Women in Bijnor stand up against alcoholism

All societies struggle with a vast number of social issues that need to be controlled and monitored and India too has its fair share of such problems. Alcoholism, which is not much talked about, is a huge problem in the country. Since a large number of people drink socially or occasionally, it gets difficult to draw a line between an acceptable amount of liquor intake and addiction, that can manifest itself in multiple ways.

One of the major problems with alcoholics is that many have been known to get violent after drinking. In a society like ours where women in a shamefully high number of families are considered inferior to men; they become victims of such violent behavior. Thankfully, some women know how to fight back.

A group of women in Bijnor's Barampur village have set a great example for women dealing with this problem all across the country. According to a report by the Times of India, about 150 women in the village protested outside the sub-divisional magistrate's office, demanding action against the increasing number of alcohol sale in the region that is affecting their families.

The report states that women from across the village arrived in trucks and tractors at the officer’s office yesterday, and claimed that the residents of Harijan colony are selling illicit alcohol to villagers in Barampur. The Superintendent of Police, Kalpana Saxena told TOI, "I have instructed the station officer at Kiratpur police station to take stock of the situation and investigate the matter. Sale of illicit liquor will certainly be stopped."

Some women from the village also showed their concern. Krishna Devi, one of the protesting women said: "The people selling the liquor have the audacity to tell us that that they will not selling, even if we go to the authorities." "Due to illicit liquor being sold in the village, the men become alcoholics. As a result, they beat their wives after drinking. People have also got into gambling, which has made many families in the village fall apart," added Sushila, another villager.

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