Relaxation for liquor shops on Eid Milad; opposition slams move

December 22, 2015

Mumbai, Dec 22: Maharashtra government has allowed alcohol shops to remain open from late night till wee hours on Eid-e-Milad, along with Christmas and New Year's Eve,prompting the Congress and AIMIM to accuse it of disregarding the sentiments of Muslims over demand for liquor ban on that day.

A circular issued by the state home department grants relaxation in timings to shops, beer bars and other establishments selling liquor, alcohol, beer, wine and country liquor on December 24 (Eid-e-Milad), December 25 (Christmas) and December 31 (New Year's Eve).

It allows foreign liquor (FL-II) retail shops to remain open on all three days from 10.30 PM to 1 AM and permit rooms, restaurants and bars (excluding in police commissionerate areas) from 11 PM to 5 AM.

In the police commissionerate areas, beer and wine shops will be allowed to remain open between 10.30 PM and 1 AM; hotels, restaurants, canteens and clubs between 10.30 PM and 5 AM; country liquor shops in C-class municipal councils and zilla parishad areas (excluding Cantonment areas) from 10 PM to 1 AM and, in areas other than these, between 11.59 PM to 1 AM, on all three days.

However, slamming the move, Congress leader Sachin Sawant claimed it proves that the government is not paying heed to the demands of Muslims.

"It can be easily seen that this government is not paying importance to the demands of Muslims and they are being made to feel like secondary citizens, following the ideology of the RSS," he further charged.

AIMIM legislator Imtiyaz Jaleel said that a memorandum seeking a ban on liquor sale was for gauging the attitude of the government towards the sentiments of Muslims.

"The request was made with the purpose of seeing the government's intentions towards our sentiments and whether they respect it. If they could respect the sentiments of Jains by banning meat during 'Paryushan', they could have taken cognisance of our request as well," he said.

"Alcohol is a social evil. But since this government is following the RSS ideology, we do not know what to expect from them," he added.

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QR-code tips power Mangaluru's major drug bust: 25 arrested in 2 weeks

News Network

December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

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