Booze is back in Manipur after three decades, but not everyone is raising a cheer

Will legal liquor boost revenues, or will it drown a fragile State known for drug addiction and alcoholism?

Alcoholism has affected the health of Manipur’s youth for decades.  | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStock

On December 6, the Manipur government announced the withdrawal of the Manipur Liquor (Prohibition) Act, 1991, and set down rules and regulations for the legalisation of alcohol in the State. The government led by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh hopes to collect at least Rs.600 crore as taxes from the sale of liquor, and this is cited as one of the chief reasons for lifting the ban, which had been in place for nearly 30 years.

On April 1, 1991, when prohibition was first imposed in Manipur by former Chief Minister R.K. Ranbir, 63 foreign liquor shops and three bonded warehouses were operating in the State. Back then, the State exchequer hardly got Rs.30 crore as taxes from liquor sales, since most of the illegal collections went to private pockets. The latter continued to benefit even after the ban, which made the spurious liquor business flourish in Manipur. So much so that Manipur was often jokingly referred to as the “wettest dry State”.

The BJP-led State government had started making plans to remove the ban from September 2022. Its suggestions were met with scathing comments from the prohibitionists, led by the Coalition Against Drugs and Alcohol (CADA) and All Manipur Women’s Social Reformation and Development Samaj (Nupi Samaj). Geetchandra Mangang, Secretary General of CADA, said, “The reason given for the withdrawal—collection of hefty revenue—is not convincing. And Chief Minister Biren Singh’s statement that the intention of the government is to make good liquor available to save drunkards is not acceptable.” CADA and Nupi Samaj demanded an explanation from Singh, who chose to remain silent.

Long-standing problem

Alcoholism has affected the health of Manipur’s youth for decades. Okram Ibobi Singh, a veteran politician who has served as Chief Minister for three consecutive terms, said, “Since some tribes and Scheduled Caste communities offer liquor to their forefathers, total prohibition is impossible in Manipur.” But liquor is more than just a religious requirement. Any event, whether a celebration or mourning, is incomplete without liquor. Added to this is the menace of smuggled drugs, which move freely within the State since it occupies part of the India-Myanmar border connecting with China in the north and with Bangladesh in the south.

Customers flock to one of the several illegal liquor shacks in Manipur in 2014. | Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR

Back in the 1990s, the insurgent group, Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF), and its militant wing, the People’s Liberation Army, regarded the free sale of liquor in Manipur as a counter-insurgency tactic adopted by the government. So, it carried out a long and sustained anti-liquor campaign, which, for the group, was a project to purge society of the ills that could hamper their armed struggle. Finally, they imposed total prohibition in Manipur from January 1, 1991. Ranbir described it as a “clever” move, intended to put the RPF one step ahead of the government. However, the insurgents’ ban was more than just a strategic step. They saw it as a necessity. Now that the ban has been lifted, it remains to be seen how they react.

Women vigilantes, popularly known as Meira Paibis, have also been fighting to keep Manipur addiction-free. Their campaign goes back to the late 1970s when they would walk down the streets with flaming torches at night as a mark of protest against the human rights abuses committed by the armed forces. The marches also served as a way of keeping a watch on drunkards and drug addicts.

Thokchom Ramani, President of Nupi Samaj, which has spearheaded the campaign since 1971-1972, said about the recent lifting of the ban: “I am disappointed. But the women of Manipur will continue to fight.” Interestingly, in recent years, alcoholism and tobacco addiction among Manipuri women are alarmingly on the rise.

In normal times, one mithapattipaan (sweet betel leaf) laced generously with tobacco sells for Rs.15. The price becomes exorbitant during strikes and blockades, which have become the order of the day in Manipur. Whether or not there is a link between the unrest in the State and the increased dependence on tobacco among women, what is for sure is that the trend does not bode well for the health of the State.

Undeterred by prohibition

Countless people have benefitted by selling liquor in the erstwhile “dry” Manipur, where the demand-supply chain for alcohol is quite unbreakable. Habitual drunkards and bootleggers went to any length to bypass the ban enforced by insurgents and women’s groups. Punishments ranging from kneecapping to a swim in icy cold waters did nothing to deter them. The offenders were required to publish confessions with a pledge not to repeat the crime—whether drinking or bootlegging. A newspaper manager said, “Most of them had scars from beatings when they came to our offices to publish the confessions. Sadly, most of them would be drunk as well.”

Manipur’s Excise Department officials smash seized liquor and beer bottles in their office premises in lmphal in 2002. | Photo Credit: AFP

Clearly, the insurgents were fighting a losing battle all along. They also lost credibility as powerful people, who suffered losses as a result of the anti-liquor campaign, started defaming them. With the insurgents loosening their grip, the illegal liquor business thrived. With the government legalising alcohol now, the last deterrent has been removed.

Manipur is in a perilous condition, with the recent conflict between the Meiteis and Kukis having weakened it considerably. The government’s concern with alcohol and revenue at this stage, when people are still mourning for their relatives, seems particularly insensitive. More important, its decision might further weaken the State, as everyone gets unfettered access to alcohol.