Gurung community condemns ban on homemade liquor production

LAMJUNG: Citing the recent ban enforced by Lamjung Police on the production of homemade liquor, the Gurung community of Lamjung has accused the authorities of intervening against their culture.

A series of police raids and seizure of homemade liquor and its raw materials under a campaign to curb illegal liquor abuse and domestic violence has now backfired creating a furore in the disgruntled Gurung community.

Submitting a memorandum to the Chief District Officer Jhanka Nath Dhakal on Monday, the Gurung community stated that usage of homemade liquor is a customary norm in Gurung culture and has been tied with rituals from birth to death.

In this backdrop, leaders of the Gurung Community have urged the local administration to be lenient on homemade liquor production.

“The local administration can act as per the law at any time,” Chair of Tamu Huyla Choj Dhi Gurung National Council, Hum Bahadur Gurung said. “However, it should not intervene against our norms and culture.”

Accepting the memorandum, the CDO said that the administration would not impose control on norms and culture but preserve and promote it.