Mokokchung, February 14 (MExN): Seizure of IMFL consignments in the “dry state” of Nagaland is nothing new. It’s almost a daily occurrence. Therefore, the recent increase in the seizure of liquor headed for poll bound Nagaland comes as no surprise because election has come to imply easy money and plenty of free liquor.
It is not that the people don’t have access to alcohol on other ordinary days. Despite the Total Liquor Prohibition Act 1989 in place, alcohol is plenty in this “dry state,” albeit the cost which is double to neighboring Assam. “Drinking is a culture for the Nagas, we cannot avoid it,” said a concerned educated youth, “and drinking during election is also a tradition which started in the early eighties. We cannot change it overnight.” His words take prominence especially when a senior politician during a programme at Impur (the Ao Mission Centre) declared, ‘election cannot be held without alcohol.’ But this time round, thanks to the relentless efforts of the excise department and also the law enforcing agencies, there has been huge seizures of IMFL consignment on different occasions in the state.
Excise Commissioner, Maongwati Aier disclosed that the department is conducting checking and carrying out seizures on a weekly basis. Just within three days, from February 7 to 10, excise personnel seized 990 bottles of IMFL and arrested forty-two people in this connection. In the month of January the department seized more than 3000 cases of assorted IMFL and arrested 80 people while in February, the department has so far seized more than 2500 cases of IMFL and arrested sixty people. There is an increase in the seizures because the 2500 cases of IMFL were seized just before the second week of February. The increase is understandable because it is election time.
The Mokokchung police have also seized more than nine hundred cases of IMFL so far on different occasions and made some arrests in this connection. Police sources disclosed that all the seized liquor were meant for election purposes. A question remains though, “Why do Naga people want to drink so much during election?”
“We have a tradition of booth capturing and the use of muscle and money power to get elected in election. When a person gets drunk, he gets more confident and therefore he is not afraid to go out and fight with others. So, candidates resort to supplying liquor to supporters for area domination and also for creating violence and booth capturing. If the flow of liquor is completely stopped, then sixty to seventy percent of the election conduct will be different”, commented SDPO Mokokchung. He opined that it may not ensure a completely free and fair election, but the violence level would drastically come down.
The Mokokchung SDPO also said that the level of violence has come down hugely because of the seizures by the police and other security forces and that the Mokokchung police have been able to plug ‘fifty percent’ of the alcohol flow into the district. He surmised that the number of violent incidents this election has come down drastically due to scarcity of alcohol. His view was affirmed by Excise Commissioner Maongwati Aier, “The strict check in the flow of alcohol has ensured that there is no election related violence due to drunkenness at least in Dimapur and also in Kohima.”
Aier also pointed out that the demand of the youth during election is liquor and money and therefore the excise department is all out to check the inflow of alcohol into the state. The Excise Commissioner also disclosed that he has written to his counterparts in Assam and Manipur soliciting their cooperation in checking the flow of alcohol into Nagaland. He expressed happiness at his counterparts for their cooperation and heeding to his request. He also opined that drunkenness will only bring muscle and money power. So in order to check goondaism, all the candidates should stop supplying liquor to their supporters. He also pointed out that maximum participation of voters will give us a stronger democracy and therefore everyone should participate in the coming election
Bootlegging over the years has grown into a professional business. It is, therefore, uncertain whether the efforts of the enforcement agencies will be able to plug the alcohol flow, especially when there is so much demand during election time. However, the effort is worthwhile to facilitate a peaceful election.
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