<p>In ‘dry’ Gujarat, the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/gujarat/43-men-arrested-38-women-detained-for-consuming-liquor-at-party-near-ahmedabad-in-dry-gujarat-3887548">liquor menace</a> has prompted villages to adopt unusual measures to curb its spread. One village in north Gujarat’s Mehsana district is drawing attention for its decision to lock up drunkards in a cage before handing them over to the police.</p><p>Villagers pooled resources to build the cage after the liquor problem escalated beyond their control and began affecting daily life. Two months on, residents report living in peace. Areas once frequented by drunkards have become safe, and those involved in producing illicit <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/lifestyle/food-and-drink/desi-liquors-in-high-spirits-indias-indigenous-brews-are-raising-the-bar-3767455">country liquo</a>r have, at least for now, stopped their activities.</p><p>“If you feel ashamed seeing this cage today, you will be reformed tomorrow… If the father is a drunkard, the child’s head hangs in shame,” read some of the messages painted on the cage placed at the entrance of the village.</p><p><strong>Unanimous decision</strong></p><p>“On December 16, 2025, during a gram sabha attended by a large number of villagers, a unanimous decision was taken to install a cage in the village to lock up drunkards before calling the police. Liquor consumption had become a major menace here, forcing us to adopt this measure,” said Kapil Chaudhary of Panchha village, Kheralu taluka, in Mehsana district.</p>.Is Gujarat really dry state? Liquor & drugs freely available in Gujarat, claims Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani.<p>His wife Santaben is the village sarpanch. </p><p>Chaudhary said that in the past three years, the village has witnessed the deaths of at least five people, allegedly due to liquor addiction.</p><p>“Since the installation of the cage, we haven’t come across a single liquor-related brawl. Earlier, such incidents were frequent. What forced the villagers to act was a video showing drunkards engaged in a fight, using expletives that were shameful. Villagers were equally angered by youngsters dying due to addiction,” said VG Chaudhary, a BJP leader and principal of a school in Kheralu.</p><p>In the past, several villages across districts, including Ahmedabad, Surendranagar and Rajkot, adopted similar measures.</p><p>Some imposed fines, while others passed rules to expel drunkards from the village or socially boycott them.</p><p>This is not the only village in the state where manufacturing, sale and consumption of liquor are completely banned, except for a few with permits and visitors from other states.</p><p>On Wednesday, ahead of the state budget presentation, Congress president and MLA Amit Chavda raised the issue of the state’s “failed liquor policy” in the Assembly.</p>
<p>In ‘dry’ Gujarat, the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/gujarat/43-men-arrested-38-women-detained-for-consuming-liquor-at-party-near-ahmedabad-in-dry-gujarat-3887548">liquor menace</a> has prompted villages to adopt unusual measures to curb its spread. One village in north Gujarat’s Mehsana district is drawing attention for its decision to lock up drunkards in a cage before handing them over to the police.</p><p>Villagers pooled resources to build the cage after the liquor problem escalated beyond their control and began affecting daily life. Two months on, residents report living in peace. Areas once frequented by drunkards have become safe, and those involved in producing illicit <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/lifestyle/food-and-drink/desi-liquors-in-high-spirits-indias-indigenous-brews-are-raising-the-bar-3767455">country liquo</a>r have, at least for now, stopped their activities.</p><p>“If you feel ashamed seeing this cage today, you will be reformed tomorrow… If the father is a drunkard, the child’s head hangs in shame,” read some of the messages painted on the cage placed at the entrance of the village.</p><p><strong>Unanimous decision</strong></p><p>“On December 16, 2025, during a gram sabha attended by a large number of villagers, a unanimous decision was taken to install a cage in the village to lock up drunkards before calling the police. Liquor consumption had become a major menace here, forcing us to adopt this measure,” said Kapil Chaudhary of Panchha village, Kheralu taluka, in Mehsana district.</p>.Is Gujarat really dry state? Liquor & drugs freely available in Gujarat, claims Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani.<p>His wife Santaben is the village sarpanch. </p><p>Chaudhary said that in the past three years, the village has witnessed the deaths of at least five people, allegedly due to liquor addiction.</p><p>“Since the installation of the cage, we haven’t come across a single liquor-related brawl. Earlier, such incidents were frequent. What forced the villagers to act was a video showing drunkards engaged in a fight, using expletives that were shameful. Villagers were equally angered by youngsters dying due to addiction,” said VG Chaudhary, a BJP leader and principal of a school in Kheralu.</p><p>In the past, several villages across districts, including Ahmedabad, Surendranagar and Rajkot, adopted similar measures.</p><p>Some imposed fines, while others passed rules to expel drunkards from the village or socially boycott them.</p><p>This is not the only village in the state where manufacturing, sale and consumption of liquor are completely banned, except for a few with permits and visitors from other states.</p><p>On Wednesday, ahead of the state budget presentation, Congress president and MLA Amit Chavda raised the issue of the state’s “failed liquor policy” in the Assembly.</p>