Women give the boot to bootleggers in Haveri

HUBBALLI: Unable to bear harassment by their drunken husbands, women of Attigeri village of Shiggaon taluk in Haveri district have forcefully shut down all liquor shops in the village. Active like the Gulabi Gang of Uttar Pradesh, they keep an eye on bootleggers and others who try to sell liquor. Though women of Attigeri, 60 km from Hubballi, are not aware of the Gulabi Gang, they are virtually acting like this gang to free the village of liquor menace.They move around in groups and attack anyone found selling liquor clandestinely. On Thursday, women detained a man selling liquor for more than five hours in the panchayat office before handing him over to police.
Their efforts have yielded the desired results as there has been no sale of liquor in the village for six months. As a result, men of the village have to go to places like Hubballi and Belur to drink, but upon return they have to remain indoors. After working in the field, women meet in the evening and go in search for sale of liquor, if they suspect any sale of liquor anywhere. It has also created fear among bootleggers and they don’t dare go against the diktat issued by women, villagers said.
Dyamavva Muttigeri, a villager, told TOI: “My husband died due to his drinking habit and I suffered a lot. Many women have complained to me about their husbands who harassed them in drunken state. So I decided to muster support from all women and raised our voice against sale of liquor.”
Fatima Betageri, who works as a daily wage labourer in farms, said, “My husband used to beat me everyday. Besides spending his hard-earned money on drinking, he would take away money from me also.'' When she confronted him, he threatened her. “So I kept quiet. When I narrated my story to my friends, they, too, had similar stories to tell. Then, we all decided to fight against sale of liquor. There were nine liquor shops and we closed them after a clash with liquor sellers.”
Girijamma, another villager, said, “My husband was addicted to liquor. After the shops were closed, he would drink occasionally, and has stopped creating problems.” The women say they want to free the village of liquor menace. “We are supported by some organizations like Kannada Rakshana Vedike and the Excise department,” they said.