Illicit Liquor Flowing Out of Hand Pumps in UP: Why This Trend Rises During Poll Season; Police Decode

A seemingly normal hand pump in a small hamlet of Basariya Dera in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi district is not a common sight. The villagers often call it the “enchanted” hand pump, as instead of water, this hand pump pours out country-made liquor. Such “magical” hand pumps are fast turning out to be the latest modus operandi of the UP’s liquor mafias to dodge the police and ensure sale of the country-made liquor, which generally goes up during the election season.

In the last one month, the Uttar Pradesh excise department has seized Rs 2.5 lakh litres of illicit liquor, registered around 9,000 cases and made around 2,600 arrests.

The hand pumps were traced when the excise department, local police and district administration raided Basariya Dera, under Mauranipur Police Circle in Jhansi, on Monday.

When Hand Pump Spewed Liquor

“Initially, it seemed to be a regular raid. But, despite putting in a lot of effort, we failed to spot the point where the liquor is stored. On inspecting the site closely, we spotted a hand pump, with small polythene packets littered around. When we operated the hand pump we were shocked as instead of fetching water it was spewing the country-made liquor. The liquor mafias got the hand pump connected with the barrels of country-made liquor, which were lying buried deep under the ground,” said Pramod Kumar, district excise officer (DEO).

9,749 Litres of Alcohol Seized from Jhansi

Kumar said the team managed to recover around 80 litres of country-made alcohol, which were stored in the barrels, lying buried beneath the ground. Officials with Jhansi’s excise department, however, said Basariya Dera is perhaps not the only village infamous for the making of country-made liquor. Officials said Kabootra Dera, Datar Nagar, Napakheda, Panari, Padri, Katera, Chandigarh Khailaur, Marautha, Mahaiba, Rora, Bangra, Ashok Nagar, Sakrar, Faridabad, Farida, Basariya, Sidhnagar Itayal, Bundera Kala, Tondol, Goramchhiya, Markua, Dasna, Devri, Sighpura, Bhakaura, Takori, Kakarbai, Karari Ambabai and others are selling illicit liquor, and are considered to be the safe haven for tipplers.

Jhansi’s DEO said in the last one month Jhansi alone registered around 139 cases of country-made liquor, and around 9,749 litres of alcohol was seized.

Hand Pump Trend First Spotted in MP

The senior officers with the excise department, however, said hand pumps were first set up in Bhanpura village of Madhya Pradesh in 2022 where thousands of litres of illicit liquor were recovered by the police. Gradually, this trend of storing and selling illicit liquor became a tested method for liquor mafias in UP.

Illicit Liquor to Woo Voters

Interestingly, the trend of manufacturing and the selling of illicit country-made liquor, which also helps political parties woo voters, increases during the poll season. Anticipating the supply of country-made illicit liquor in the neighbouring poll-bound state of Madhya Pradesh and in the parts of UP where the Lok Sabha polls are slated to be held in 2024, the UP excise department said to have made elaborate arrangements to keep a check on the liquor mafias.

“We have intensified checking on the UP borders, set up around 13 check-posts. We have intensified checking on the highways and have roped in Dhaba (eatery) owners and the Pradhans from the village to keep a check on the sale and purchase of illicit liquor,” said Jainendra Upadhyay, Joint Excise Commissioner (enforcement), excise department, UP.