BHOPAL: A woman protestor died during the ongoing anti-liquor demonstration in Naxal-affected Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday night.
The 56-year-old woman identified as Shyama Bai Bansar, was an active member in the week long protests demanding the relocation of a country made liquor shop from the residential area in Jaam village in Lalburra police station area ((500 km from Bhopal).
She possibly suffered a heart attack and died on the spot during protests outside the liquor outlet, official sources in Balaghat said.
Upset over the woman's death, villagers blocked the road to the village for three hours on Friday morning, compelling the district collector Bharat Yadav to assure the protestors about removing the licensed liquor vend from Jaam village within a week.
"The district collector sent a police team and few administrative officials to the spot. We were assured by officials that not only will the liquor shop be removed from Jaam village, but monetary compensation will also be paid to the kin of deceased, "said Dhanendra Hanumant, the man guiding the de-addiction movement in 265 villages of the district.
Also, a member of Union ministry of social justice and empowerment committee on de-addiction, Hanumant alleged that Shyama Bai had recently received threats from liquor mafia on sacking her daughter-in-law as the school mid-day meal cook if Shyama continued to be among the protestors.
The Balaghat superintendent Amit Singh, however, denied the allegations.
Madhya Pradesh has been witnessing violent protests against liquor vends and illicit liquor sale by people, particularly for over last one month.
Incidentally, the CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan who has already announced closure of liquor vends within five km from river Narmada from April 1, had recently announced that MP will be made liquor-free State in phased manner.
Chouhan, however, has failed to declare any deadline for making MP a dry State like Gujarat and Bihar.
Shyama Bai's death in Balaghat happened hours after, one RN Dixit, reportedly protesting with contractual electricity department employees for their regularization, succumbed to a heart attack during protests at Bhopal's Ambedkar Ground in Thursday.