‘Women at the receiving end of alcoholism in dry state’

“The means of livelihood there are so scarce and husbands take away money from their wives for buying liquor. Then they beat the women,” she said,adding police do not help in such matters.

“Police turn down complaints by women saying it is okay for tribal to drink,” Merryben said.

A social worker from Ahmedabad’s Mninagar,which is constituency of Chief Minister Narendra Modi,said that trade and consumption of alcohol and drug were rampant in her area and that women bore the brunt of negligence by police. “Husbands force their wives to give them their hard earned money. This leaves women with no money even to cook a meal. The drunken men then return home and beat women when they are not served food,” she said,requesting anonymity. She alleged that police of the area were hand in glove with bootleggers and drug peddlers.

Manisha Goswami,an RTI activist from Valsad district,complained about the safety of women who raised their voices. She was allegedly assaulted last month after she filed RTI applications against a few industrial units in Vapi.

Public jury member P G J Nampoothiri,former DGP of Gujarat and ex-special rapporteur to National Human Rights Commission (NHRC),agreed that the present crime rates were high for a developed state like Gujarat. “National Crime Record Bureau ranks Gujarat seventh in the country with regard to crime against women. Considering its history and development in last few decades,this ranking should have been much lower,” said the retired IPS officer.