While the nation's eyes are on the high-stakes Lok Sabha elections, an equally intense, yet quieter, battle rages on in Gujarat: the seemingly never-ending contest between law enforcement and the state's tenacious bootleggers and alcohol smugglers. 

Addressing the press on Apr 23, additional director general of Gujarat police Shamsher Singh said that the cops have taken action against 42,000 bootleggers in the run-up to the elections. 

If that number seems high, consider this: In 2021-22 and 2022-23, officials seized Indian-made foreign liquor worth ₹1,97,56,21,059 (₹1.97 bn), country-made liquor, also called desi daru, valued at ₹3,99,95,154 (₹3.99 cr) and 2,99,95,154 (2.99 cr) bottles of beer worth ₹10,51,46,161 (₹10.51 cr). 

Breaking this data down, that’s ₹8.23 crore worth of IMFL, beer worth ₹43.81 lakh and ₹16.66 lakh in country-made liquor being seized every month for 24 consecutive months. 

Meanwhile, an official at a government-authorized permit shop estimated monthly sales of ₹30-35 lakh. There are 77 such stores across the state, the legal alcohol sales amount to ₹23-27 crore per month.

So, speculating just based on these calculations, the amount of IMFL seized in Gujarat is roughly a third of what is sold legally—and this isn’t counting all the liquor that makes it past the various police check posts and vigilance teams.  

Yet, a senior police official, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media, said it was “wrong to correlate the number of bootleggers to the total liquor sales.”

According to a news report published in 2022, 40,000 people in Gujarat could legally consume alcohol at the time, with about 16,000 new health permits having been issued in the preceding two years. By December 2023, this number had risen to 43,470. 

As a medical officer at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital clarified to Gujarat Samachar Digital: “We're just an authority to examine the health grounds of the applicant who applied with the prohibition department. The prohibition department issues permits to such applicants who ask for health permits to consume liquor on health grounds.”

Now, local police have joined forces with the state monitoring cell to step up vigilance and nab liquor carriers and transporters, especially in the state capital. 

Just this week, a driver and a cleaner were arrested by the State Monitoring Cell team, leading to the seizure of 31 cartons of foreign liquor valued at over ₹22 lakh. In another incident, three individuals were caught red-handed smuggling IMFL in a rickshaw, posing as innocent passengers from Koba Road in Gandhinagar. A total of 392 bottles worth ₹34,104 were among the items confiscated.

Notably, GIFT City (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City), where the Gujarat government recently allowed alcohol to be consumed  under the new “Wine and Dine” licence is located near Gandhinagar.

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