Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, May 4: Residents of the Shaheedi Chowk area in Kathua raised a strong protest against the opening of three wine shops within a ten-metre area, with the Municipal Councillors also joining the protest.
The protesters forcibly closed the shutter of one of the wine shops, and a number of residents, including women and children, assembled in front of the wine shop in the evening when the third wine shop owner tried to open the shop.
The residents are unhappy that the district administration allowed another wine shop to open within a ten-metre radius of an area that has a mall house, commercial complex, medical shops and a residential area.
In response to the protest, a police team led by DSP Manjit Singh rushed to the site and took stock of the situation.
However, the situation escalated when women started pelting stones at two wine shops that had already opened in the area. The police intervened and stopped traffic movement downward to Shaheedi Chowk.
Despite police intervention, the residents remained adamant and demanded the immediate closure of the three wine shops.
The women who were part of the protest expressed their anger and stated that the opening of three wine shops and a bar within a twenty-metre radius of the area has created a nuisance for the common man and commercial markets run by women.
They questioned why the district administration permitted the opening of these establishments when the residents had no need for them. The protesters even renamed Shaheedi Chowk to Sharabi Chowk to reflect their discontent.
The residents demanded the immediate shifting of the three wine shops.
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