The residents of east Delhi’s Acharya Niketan, where a 21-year-old youth was shot dead in an incident of road rage, have complained about liquor consumption at public places in the locality.
Victim Yogesh Singh Dedha, a resident of Chilla village, was shot dead by car-borne men after their car grazed the victim outside a convenience store in Acharya Niketan.
‘Victim was drunk’
The preliminary report found that Yogesh and his cousins Golu and Aman were consuming liquor outside the convenience store.
D.D. Sharma, a retired engineer and a resident of the area, said that the convenience store has become a nuisance for the people of the locality.
People purchase water, soda and snacks from the shop and then consume liquor in the open or in their cars, he said.
“Every morning I find used disposable glasses, empty liquor bottles, packets of snacks and sauce spilled on my stairs. The store has a round-the-clock availability of snacks and water that attracts anti-social elements. Public drinking and drunken brawl are frequent. The matter was raised with the shop owner but he refused to take action and instead shifted the blame on the local police,” said Mr. Sharma.
Pankaj Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) said that he has instructed his staff to keep a tab on drinking at public places. In November, 91 people were held for drinking liquor at public places. In December, 140 people have been held till Tuesday.
“People caught consuming liquor at public places are held and booked under the Excise Act and have to pay a fine of ₹5,000. If drunk people are found creating nuisance at public places, then they are fined ₹10,000 and awarded imprisonment of six months,” said Mr. Singh.
The DCP (East) said that they have got vital clue about the accused in the recent murder case, adding that an investigation is still under way.
