A liquor vend near Ryan International School, Bhondsi, was burnt down by protesters on Sunday. The rioters claimed that the vend was located too close to the school, just about 50 metres away.
The place had, according to the protesters, become a den for school bus staff to consume liquor in their free time. The authorities, however, gave a clean chit to the vend. They re-measured the distance between the school and the shop on Saturday, and found it above 200 metres.
The deputy excise and taxation commissioner (DETC), east Gurgaon, Sneh Lata Yadav, submitted her report to deputy commissioner, Vinay Pratap Singh, on Sunday. She also sent a copy of the report to Haryana excise minister Abhimanyu Singh.
“The liquor vend was targeted by the protesters, but there was no reason to burn it or make an issue out of it — it had maintained the permissible distance. The protesters had unnecessarily tried to divert public attention from the murder case,” said an excise official.
The shop was shifted from Sohna highway in May after the Supreme Court ban on the sale of liquor within 500 metres of highways in December.
The excise officials said they had earlier received a complaint from the school management against the liquor vend, saying it was within 150 metres. The DETC had sent an inspection team to measure the distance, which was found permissible.
“The license was granted after we did our field work. My officials, including me, had visited the spot and everything was followed according to laws — there was no violation,” emphasised Yadav.
The protesters had pelted stones at the shop and later set it on fire. They had also picked up liquor bottles from the shop and thrown them inside the school, demanding action against the management.