Karnataka home minister Priyank Kharge has directed senior police officers to issue notices to all restaurants, pubs, breweries, bars, clubs and lounges serving liquor to prevent the entry of those below 21 years.
The directive follows growing concern over drinking and substance exposure among adolescents in Bengaluru. Kharge has directed the police and all liquor-serving establishments that no person should be allowed entry without valid age proof.
A study conducted by researchers from St John’s Medical College, Bengaluru, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, and Christ University, Bengaluru, has found that even 8-year-olds have been initiated into alcohol consumption.
It found that the median age of starting alcohol consumption among Bengaluru adolescents was 17 years, with some reporting initiation as early as 8.
The study was conducted among 4,093 students from pre-university courses, undergraduate colleges and higher secondary classes across four educational institutions in Bengaluru. The researchers found that one in three adolescents in the city is at risk of developing health issues due to alcohol or tobacco use.
According to statistics released by the D.K. Shivakumar government, it has been found that 33 per cent of young adults surveyed consumed alcohol, while nearly 18 per cent were addicted to tobacco.
“This is significantly higher than the national prevalence rates of 8.7 per cent for tobacco use and 7.9 per cent for alcohol use, and also above Karnataka’s reported prevalence of 4.7 per cent for tobacco use and 8.5 per cent for alcohol consumption. Hence, I instructed the police to treat underage drinking not merely as a licensing violation, but as a youth-safety and public-health concern,” Kharge said.
All liquor-serving establishments have been directed to implement rigorous age-verification protocols at the point of entry and before serving alcohol. Kharge has warned that any establishment found serving liquor to underage persons or abetting underage drinking will be dealt with severely under applicable law.
