Liquor shops in Delhi have reportedly been directed by the authorities to close by 8 pm until the end of the current weekend, in view of the ongoing student protests.
Earlier this week, on Thursday, the early closure caught many customers off guard, forcing them to return empty-handed without buying alcohol. Under normal circumstances, liquor shops in the national capital remain open until 10 pm.
"The shops will now close by 8 pm till the weekend. The decision was taken based on the police inputs flagging the prevailing situation due to the ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar," a senior Delhi government officer, cited by news agency PTI, said on Friday, July 24.
The Cockroach Janta Party-led protest over NEET-related irregularities has rocked Central Delhi over the past few days.
Young people, including students, gathered under the outfit's banner at Jantar Mantar, have been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the controversy.
On July 20, a Parliament March called by the CJP turned violent with many protesters and a few police personnel getting injured.
On Friday, the CJP told the government that its demand for Pradhan's resignation is non-negotiable and warned that if it is not accepted at the earliest, the protests would only grow bigger.
The outfit's spokespersons, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, held a two-hour meeting – the second this week – with Union ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh at the Vithalbhai Patel House in Delhi to hammer out an amicable solution to the ongoing agitation.
During the day, the Union Cabinet approved a draft bill to ensure stricter punishments for paper leaks, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an unprecedented midnight video message, announced that a bill containing provisions for strong action against paper leaks will be introduced in Parliament.
"We told the Union ministers that our demand for the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan is non-negotiable," Das told reporters after the meeting.
However, hours after the CJP's meeting with the Centre's delegation, sources within the government ruled out the possibility of the minister's resignation.
"Resigning and running away from responsibility will be the easiest thing to do. People have given us the mandate, and we will deliver," the sources stated.
PTI