Wine shop closed following public outrage in Batamaloo, Srinagar

July 4, 2025 by News Desk

Firdous Qadri

The recently opened wine shop near the Batamaloo bus stand in Srinagar has been shut down following widespread public outrage.

Eyewitnesses confirmed to The Kashmiriyat that the shop was closed late Friday evening, just hours after residents staged a strong protest demanding its immediate removal.

Earlier on Friday, dozens of locals, including women and traders, gathered near the bus terminal, calling the move an assault on their cultural and social values. Protesters said the location of the shop—near a major transport hub and market—put women and students at risk.

“This is a space used daily by thousands—commuters, women, college students. Installing a wine shop here is an insult to the community’s values and concerns,” said Faheem Dar, a resident of the area.

“Our children are already facing a crisis. Drug abuse is on the rise, and now these shops are being normalised right in the heart of our mohallas. It is a slippery slope,” said Shabina Jan, a school teacher from Batamaloo.

Others invoked Kashmir’s religious and spiritual identity. “This is not Goa or Delhi. This is Kashmir—our land of saints and sages,” said Shabnum Akhtar, another protester. “The spiritual heritage of this place is being diluted slowly, decision by decision.”

The protest forced the shop to shut by evening, though no official statement has been issued by the administration so far.

Locals have called for a wider policy review to ensure that such establishments are not allowed in residential or high-footfall public areas in the future.