Swami Agnivesh said women who were the worst victims of alcoholism should lead the campaign against this social menace. He was delivering a lecture on ‘Atrocities against Women’ organised by the Gandhi Peace Foundation.
Terming alcohol to be the instigator for domestic violence, rape, physical and sexual abuse of women, he alleged that even the democratic institutions had been hijacked by liquor mafia. He suggested that prohibition of liquor at national-level and campaigns at a grassroot-level where even school children should be made aware, should be carried out.
“Not even the women parliamentarians mentiong alcohol as one of the reasons of rape,”,he said and added that studies have proved that every 85 paisa generated from the liquor industry translates into Rs 1.20 spent on hospitals.