Liquor shop in Srinagar shut down after traders protest, Mirwaiz threatens mass agitation
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has reportedly sealed a newly opened liquor outlet in Srinagar’s Batamaloo locality following widespread opposition from local traders and religious leaders. The decision comes amid rising public anger and a call for shutdown issued by business associations in the area.
On Friday, traders in Batamaloo staged a demonstration against the liquor shop and announced a three-day shutdown as a “mark of peaceful protest,” asserting that the outlet threatened the region’s “social and cultural fabric.”
In a joint notice signed by several traders' associations and shopping complexes, business leaders urged the administration to act swiftly. “We appeal to the concerned authorities to intervene and take action immediately,” the notice read, citing the negative impact of the liquor store on the locality’s ethos.
Vice-president of the Batamaloo Traders’ Association, Wasim Afroz Khan, told The Wire that the residents and shopkeepers were unanimously against the liquor shop. “We will not allow it to happen. Tourists don’t come here to drink liquor; they come for our climate, forests, and mountains,” Khan said.
According to reports, the liquor outlet was relocated from Pantha Chowk to Batamaloo to accommodate the ongoing Amarnath Yatra.
Prominent religious leader and Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq issued a stern warning during his sermon at Srinagar’s historic Jamia Masjid on Friday. He termed the liquor store “a deliberate attempt to ruin our people and our future generations.”
Speaking after the Friday prayers, Mirwaiz denounced the move as an “assault on our religious, cultural and societal ethos” and warned of mass protests if such decisions continued. He lauded the Batamaloo traders for taking a principled stand and demanded immediate government intervention.
“It is the government’s duty to ensure that such proposals are nipped in the bud. If they fail, then the ulemas, civil society and masses will have no option but to protest,” he said.
Following mounting pressure, the liquor shop was reportedly sealed by the authorities later the same day.
The Wire noted that this is perhaps the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 that authorities have reversed their own decision following a warning from the Hurriyat leadership.
The backlash also casts renewed scrutiny on the Union Territory’s liquor policy. On February 15 this year, the J&K Excise Department invited bids for 305 liquor vends across the region, including 14 in Kashmir’s tourist hubs such as Sonmarg, Pahalgam, Gulmarg, and parts of Baramulla and Kupwara.
The policy proposes opening liquor shops in seven wards of Srinagar and also at government-run tourist facilities and two airports. Authorities claim the move will encourage “processing and maturation of special spirits” under J&K’s climatic conditions for domestic and export purposes.
Facing criticism earlier this year, J&K Finance Minister Omar Abdullah, under whose department the Excise portfolio falls, distanced himself from the policy, saying the number of liquor vends remained unchanged.
The move has drawn criticism from several political quarters. PDP legislator Mir Muhammad Fayaz Mir introduced a private member’s bill seeking a complete ban on liquor sales and advertisements in the region. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter, Iltija Mufti, launched a signature campaign against liquor sales in Kashmir.
Interestingly, senior BJP leaders, including former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh and J&K Waqf Board chairperson Darakshan Andrabi, have also expressed support for a liquor ban in the Union Territory.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
