INDORE/UJJAIN: Devotees will no longer be able to buy liquor in Ujjain to offer at Kal Bhairav temple as all liquor shops — including the two near the temple — were shut on Tuesday as govt’s ban on booze in religious sites came into force.
As per excise regulations, devotees can buy liquor from shops outside Ujjain municipal limits and offer it to the deity, but no one can buy it within the temple town. But officials are not vocal or clear about it.
Excise commissioner Abhijeet Agrawal told TOI, “All points of sales and licenced bars are closed within Ujjain municipal corporation limits.” Asked if one can carry liquor in the prescribed quantity through the areas where sale is now banned, he said: “All remaining rules and regulations of the excise department are still in place.”
Officials told TOI that up to four legally purchased bottles of liquor can be transported without any documents, and offerings of liquor at religious places are not restrained under the Excise Act.
Liquor is the prime offering to Kal Bhairav at Ujjain. Temple authorities have been allowed to keep a two-day stock of liquor for the daily puja offerings, priest Omprakash Chaturvedi said.
In Jan this year, MP govt banned sale of liquor at 19 religious sites — including Ujjain, Omkareshwar, Maheshwar, Maihar, Orchha, Nalkheda and Datia. It came into effect with the start of the new fiscal on Tuesday. The administration went all out to enforce the prohibition.
Shopkeepers in the Kal Bhairav temple area were told to submit affidavits that they would not sell alcohol. Devotees were taken aback when they learnt of the prohibition on Tuesday.
Ujjain police issued two mobile numbers — 9479999037 and 7587624914 — for tips on illegal alcohol sales. Police soon got an alert about alleged black-marketing of liquor near the temple. A team rushed to the spot and inspected shops, vehicles and nearby areas but found nothing to substantiate the claim.
Ritualistic offerings to the deity continued. Priest Chaturvedi said: “Ahead of the ban, the temple committee informed the administration and maintained this stock. It will be used for offerings to the deity immediately after the temple opens in the morning, before and after morning and evening aartis, and at the time of closing the temple at night.”
In the runup to the ban, the administration held several rounds of meetings with shopkeepers. Ujjain SP Pradeep Sharma said all authorized sellers and dhabas were told to cease sales from Tuesday.
“All shopkeepers have been clearly informed that they must not engage in any form of illegal alcohol sales, and activities related to alcohol sales will be closely monitored. Strict action will be taken against any violations,” Sharma said adding regular inspections will continue.
Excise and police teams conducted searches at suspected outlets in Ujjain. All 17 shops and 11 bars within Ujjain municipal limits plus two liquor counters in the Kal Bhairav Temple complex have been shut, said assistant excise commissioner Vikramdeep Singh Sangar. Three teams are conducting searches every four hours, including the temple area, he added.
During one such search, excise officials found a dhaba owner in Pawasa serving liquor and filed a case against him. They seized 53 bottles of countrymade liquor and 25 beer cans from the eatery.
