The Delhi Excise Department has directed all government-run liquor shops in the National Capital Territory to close by 8:00 PM through Sunday. The decision comes as a precautionary step following intelligence inputs and advisory letters from the Delhi Police Special Branch during ongoing student demonstrations in Central Delhi.
Standard operating hours for the city’s roughly 700 retail vends are typically 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
Key Takeaways
-
Early Closing Mandate: All retail vends must pull down shutters two hours earlier than the usual 10:00 PM closing time until the end of the weekend.
-
Police Advisory: The Delhi Police Special Branch cited concerns regarding potential hooliganism and unruly conduct during evening hours, aiming to prevent law-and-order disruptions around crowd aggregation points.
-
Context of Demonstrations: Protests led by groups including the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) have been taking place at Jantar Mantar over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations like NEET-UG.
-
Additional Security Measures: The restriction follows earlier unannounced closures on Thursday evening, as well as temporary metro station closures and traffic diversions across parts of Central and New Delhi.
Security Rationale
In an official communication to the Delhi government, police authorities noted that reducing evening operational hours helps mitigate the risk of intoxication-induced incidents or public nuisances that could escalate the law-and-order situation near major protest zones. Authorities indicated that depending on assessments on Sunday evening, the timing restrictions could be extended further if necessary.
