Will the UDF government curb spread of liquor?

The tragic end suffered by two young women and a young man — after a speeding car slammed into their scooter near Nedumbassery at midnight last Sunday — has plunged their families into an abyss of tears and has also shocked the collective conscience of Kerala. While people take some solace in the police's prompt action in apprehending the culprits, the public is demanding that maximum punishment be ensured for the accused. "Charges of culpable homicide are not enough; it must be murder," reacted the father of Devika- one of the student victims. Gopika's father similarly asserted, "It is pointless to just book them under a petty case for drunk driving; they need to be put behind bars". He asked, "Shouldn't parents who buy luxury cars capable of running at 240 kilometers per hour realise that there is no road in India fit for such speed driving?" The driver of the car, Suhail Sajeev, is only 19 years old. Police have discovered that while racing in a luxury car to the airport with a companion, he stopped at three different bars on the way along with three other friends to consume alcohol — all between 9:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. And what did the main accused shout to the people who who rushed to the scene of the accident? "My father will take care of everything!" The mindset of that young man, himself still a student, needs no explanation as to how it became so brutal. He is a quintessential representative of the younger generation who, born into wealthy families and possessing ample money to squander, freely exploit every opportunity to live recklessly. Needless to say, even if the crime is proven beyond doubt in the current case, the maximum punishment he may receive is a few years in prison. Furthermore, once the current protests die down, there is no shortage of clever lawyers ready to find loopholes in the law to bury the case.

Also read: Kerala books 3 bars over liquor sale to 19-yr-old in fatal crash

Thus, the problem is not merely about a few criminals who get caught or punished in connection with a specific incident. Rather, it lies in the fact that the massive economic, educational, and technological development and progress Kerala has been achieving carries an alarming downside. The crux of the issue is that we are failing to nurture generations that are conscious of their obligations toward society — ethically, morally, and above all, humanely. It must be admitted that neither our educational institutions, nor our socio-cultural movements, nor the political leadership guiding everything are succeeding in honestly assessing and remedying the degradation affecting society. The general trend has become to simply follow whichever direction individuals and society drift. Consequently, there is no substantive shift away from the routine blame-game between the ruling front and the opposition.

Also read: Approval granted for liquor outlets in IT parks in Kerala

When a young student — having consumed excessive amounts of alcohol at three different bars within four hours during the night and completely losing sense— flies along at high speed, the youth involved in the current accident case fails to realise that the inevitable outcome is the sacrifice of three human lives. The police registering the case have also booked all three bars for statutory violations. When the first Pinarayi government assumed office, there were only 29 bars across the state; as the curtain fell on a decade of Left rule, that number stands at 800! Under such circumstances, it would be a surprise only if young people did not zoom around in high-speed cars after gulping down premium alcoholic beverages across three bars in a single night. In the aforementioned incident, the police registered cases for violating Abkari rules that prohibit selling liquor to individuals under 23 years of age. Since a fine of ₹25,000 can be collected for each violation, the incident ultimately yields revenue for the state treasury! However, it is certain that not a single bar will have to be shut down over this. After all, which bar owner is going to demand an a certificate to prove age from youth coming in to drink? Even if demanded, will it work? Given that brawls and other untoward incidents are daily occurrences in bars, asking for age verification — much like an SIR model check — is simply impractical. As the new UDF government led by V.D. Satheesan prepares to announce its liquor policy, the strategy to be formulated and implemented must be a practical one aimed at curbing the spread of alcohol to the maximum extent possible.