Gujarat Liquor Ban Fails to Curb Alcohol-Related Disputes, Data Shows

State's '112' emergency helpline logs over 300 drunken brawl cases a day despite decades-old prohibition law.

Gujarat's decades-old prohibition law has not stopped alcohol-related violence from becoming one of the leading causes of police intervention in the state, according to data from the '112' emergency helpline covering September 2025 to June 2026. Police recorded 93,993 cases of drunken brawls during the ten-month period, averaging more than 300 such incidents every single day. The figures place alcohol-fuelled disputes as the third most common category of police emergency in the state, ahead of theft, road accidents, and crimes against women and children.

The scale of the numbers has renewed scrutiny of how effectively Gujarat's prohibition policy, in force since the state's formation, is being enforced on the ground. While the sale and consumption of alcohol remain illegal across the state, the frequency of alcohol-linked altercations suggests that such incidents continue to place a significant burden on law enforcement resources.

Emergency Call Volumes Paint a Wider Picture

The '112' helpline, Gujarat's unified emergency response service for police, medical, fire, and safety-related assistance, logged a total of 8.3 lakh calls over the ten-month window, translating to an average of 2,741 calls per day. Within this volume, cases of physical assault made up the largest share, with around 1.52 lakh calls, followed by public disputes and altercations, which accounted for approximately 1.35 lakh calls.

Separately, police registered 19,095 cases specifically under the state's prohibition laws during the same period, a figure that captures direct enforcement action but sits apart from the broader tally of drunken brawl-related emergency calls.

The data shows that alcohol-related disputes were among the most common reasons for police intervention during the reporting period, although it does not establish whether assault and public dispute cases were directly linked to alcohol consumption. The figures also indicate that alcohol-related incidents required police intervention more often than reported cases of theft, road accidents, and violence against women and children.

Ahmedabad Tops Emergency Call Volumes

Among Gujarat's major cities, Ahmedabad recorded the highest number of emergency calls to the '112' helpline, with 1.91 lakh calls logged over the ten-month period—an average of roughly 603 calls per day. Surat followed with 1.21 lakh calls, while Vadodara reported 57,279 calls during the same window.

The available data identifies Ahmedabad, Surat, and Vadodara as the cities with the highest emergency call volumes but does not specify the reasons behind the differences or provide a city-wise breakdown of alcohol-related incidents.

A Single Point of Contact for Emergencies

The '112' service was established to give Gujarat's residents one centralised number to reach police, medical responders, fire services, and units dedicated to women's safety and child protection. Its call data offers one of the more comprehensive real-time pictures of the kinds of emergencies the state's police force is regularly responding to, beyond formal crime statistics compiled through FIRs or court records.

The figures have renewed debate over the effectiveness of Gujarat's prohibition policy and its enforcement. With alcohol-related brawls now ranking among the top three reasons Gujarat residents dial the emergency helpline, the latest data is likely to remain part of ongoing discussions about the practical impact of the state's long-standing prohibition law.

Data cited in this report is based on Gujarat's '112' emergency helpline figures for the period September 2025 to June 2026.

Official Sources

• Government of Gujarat, Home Department
• Gujarat Emergency Response Support System (112 Gujarat)