J&K Police removes hoarding requesting tourists to avoid alcohol

The J&K Police’s move to remove a hoarding — one urging tourists’ to avoid liquor and spitting during their stay in Kashmir — evoked a sharp reaction from political parties on Saturday.

The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), on the other hand, launched a signature campaign in favour of a Bill seeking a ban on liquor sale in J&K.

A traders’ body, Traders Association Central Lal Chowk Srinagar (TALCS), on Friday erected a hoarding. With the title ‘Welcome, Dear Tourists’, the hoarding read, “We kindly request: Love and cherish your family. Avoid liquor, drugs, spitting on roads and smoking.” It further added: “Respect our culture and tradition, stay blessed and enjoy your time in our enchanting city.”

Meanwhile, the ruling National Conference (NC) Member of Parliament Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi questioned the police’s action.

“Even appealing to tourists to respect local sensitivities is now illegal in Kashmir. Will the J&K Police clarify which law was violated by the signboard? Or is the only law in place the one that silences Kashmiris?” he said.

He said the colonial L-G administration in cahoots with the security forces has turned Kashmir into an Orwellian nightmare, where people could not protest, safeguard their identity, or even speak for their culture. “Suppression breeds resentment. The more you push Kashmiris to the wall, the stronger their will to break it down. Kashmiris like any other society in this country have the right to preserve and protect their culture and faith,” MP Mehdi said.

He urged the police “not to work like a colonial power but work and behave as local police guided by law and respectful to the community and its sensitivities”.

Hurriyat chairman and Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said it was strange and unfortunate that this signboard has been seized by authorities, “raising concerns about the motive behind it“.

“People have the right to advocate for ethical and responsible behaviour in society, both to locals and outsiders who visit this place. The authorities, while cracking down on the drug menace in J&K, should support such civic initiatives that contribute to upholding values and well-being of the community rather than suppress it,” the Mirwaiz said.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti, who launched a signature campaign to press for a ban on the sale of liquor in J&K, also termed the police action in Lal Chowk as “unfortunate”.

“Alcohol and drugs are tearing apart the social fabric of J&K. When Gujarat and Bihar could be a dry State, why not J&K? There is no correlation between tourism and liquor sale,” Mufti said.