The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Violence in bar hotels on the rise

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Tuesday, Oct 24, 2006
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Violence in bar hotels on the rise

Staff Reporter

Thiruvananthapuram: Bar hotels are increasingly becoming venues of crime. On Thursday night, an armed-gang hacked to death an employee of a bar hotel at Eenchakal. Earlier this year, a drunken brawl between two criminal gangs ended in the murder of a youth at a bar hotel in Sasthamangalam.

According to the police, drunken brawls involving bar hotel employees and customers have been on the increase in the district. Excess billing and short selling of liquor often results in violent stand-offs between customers and hotel staff. Sometimes, the violence spills over to the street with both parties engaging criminal elements to settle scores.

An official said bar hotel staff were also not entirely free of blame. The Legal Metrology Department had found last year that several bar managements were short selling liquor by tampering with the peg measure and adding water to spirit. T

here have been instances of bar hotel beating customers daring to question the quantity and quality of the liquor sold. Several bar hotel managements have criminal elements on their payroll as bouncers.

However, the Kerala Bar Hotel Owners Association says that their business is becoming increasingly vulnerable to criminal elements. The attack against bar hotel establishments and staff-members was on the increase in the city, according to a press release issued by the association.

Monitoring needed

A senior official says the situation calls for heightened monitoring of bar hotels. The police should have the names and photographs of all persons employed by bar hotel managements. The Excise and Legal Metrology departments should constantly check such hotels for any violations of the Abkari Act. Stringent action, including cancellation of bar licence, should be taken against bar hotels serving liquor after closure time or on dry days.

The police also stressed the need to prosecute persons involving in drunken and riotous behaviour in public places, particularly on tourist spots frequented by families on holidays and weekends. Drunkenness has often resulted in brawls in Kallar, Meenmutti, Ponmudi, Aakulam and Veli.

The police were also planning to intensify the drive against drunken driving in a bid to control alcohol related crimes.

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