IndiaToday.in | Written by Dev Goswami
New Delhi, October 15, 2017 | UPDATED 23:34 IST
A car illegally carrying beer cans met with an accident near a tiny Gujarat village. What happened next probably will not surprise anyone.
A car illegally transporting beer cans met with an accident near the village of Dhumad in Gujarat (ANI photo)A can of beer lying unattended on the road would probably escape the notice of passersby in most of India.
But then, most of India, unlike the state of Gujarat, does not have to deal with laws that prohibit the sale and consumption of alcohol.
Which is probably why people in the village of Dhumad thought they were in for a treat when a car illegally carrying cases of beer met with an accident. Out fell the red-coloured cans of brew and soon people, as news agency ANI put it, "pounced" on the car to "loot" the contraband.
Dhumad is a tiny village located just north of the industrial town of Vadodara.
Gujarat, thanks to its prohibition law, is home to a thriving bootlegging business. Resourceful citizens in Gujarat are known to be able to arrange for alcohol when they need to.
Officially, the sale and consumption of alcohol has been prohibited in Gujarat, the home state of Mahatma Gandhi, for almost as many years as India has been independent.
Non residents and tourists visiting Gujarat are allowed to buy alcohol from one of the very few licensed stores, but only after securing valid permits.
Earlier this year, the Gujarat government made the state's prohibition laws even stricter. Under the new laws, anyone found manufacturing, selling, purchasing or transporting alcohol could be jailed for up to 10 years and/or be made to pay a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh.