The Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) has called for stricter enforcement of the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act, 1989, emphasizing that lifting the prohibition would have “serious consequences for society.”
The NLTP Act, the Council stated, is “not just a statute, it’s a moral declaration reflecting the Church’s stance that alcohol is a social evil destroying homes and families in Nagaland.” In a joint statement signed by Rev Dr Mar Pongener, General Secretary, and Dr. Villo Naleo, Secretary of Social Concern, the NBCC warned that alcohol misuse has given rise to a black-market economy, corruption, and moral dissonance.
Highlighting key issues, the NBCC said implementation of the Act has suffered due to “lack of political will and a weak Excise department with inadequate personnel and technology,” along with “police failure to secure interstate borders, allowing liquor smuggling,” and loopholes in the Act itself, such as compounding offences, “undermining its effectiveness.”
The Council also addressed misconceptions about the term “Total Prohibition,” stating that “contrary to the nomenclature ‘Total Prohibition’, the NLTP Act has provisions for supervised relaxation, citing clauses 16 and 14, which allow liquor sales to foreign nationals and permits for medical purposes.” However, the NBCC argued that “lack of enforcement and public education has led to misuse, black markets, and bootlegging,” emphasizing that “the issue isn’t the Act itself, but rather the lack of willpower to implement it effectively.”
Referring to past relaxations, the NBCC noted that “just before the G-20 delegates arrived in 2023, the Chief Minister proposed allowing liquor sales to foreign nationals in select hotels, citing clause 16 of the NLTP Act,” and that in December 2024 during the Hornbill Festival, the Nagaland government “granted a special exemption allowing the sale and consumption of IMFL within the ambit of Kisama.” The Council said these instances demonstrate that “the Act isn’t Total Prohibition anymore” and criticized the government for relaxing the law “without taking the cognizance of the Prohibition Commission and Committee, which was set-up in 1990.”
On the issue of spurious liquor, the NBCC stated: “If you’re to choose between two evils, choose none. The influx of spurious liquor is a genuine concern; however, liquor does not come to our State on its own, it is brought by the people of the State who are not ordinary people!” The Council warned that “lifting the Act is only going to open the floodgate of the inflow of liquor to the State,” and argued that “good liquor and bad liquor have been a topic of debate but liquor is liquor and no kind of liquor promotes human health.”
The NBCC also addressed concerns about drug addiction linked to alcohol consumption, noting that “some are of the view that NLTP Act has brought about drug addiction which is just a parallel evil both of which must be contained. An evil cannot do away with another evil; instead, they only complement each other. Genuine liquor in exchange for spurious liquor? Evil is evil and there’s no better evil.”
From the Church’s perspective, the NLTP Act “is more than just a law – it is a moral commitment between Nagaland’s people and God. Born from repentance, prayer, and spiritual revival, it serves as a guide for moral living.” The Council added that “no law is perfectly obeyed, yet that doesn’t mean it’s ineffective or should be repealed…Should we erase laws against stealing, murder, or adultery just because they’re broken? Of course not – they remain to uphold moral standards.”
The NBCC reiterated its opposition to lift the prohibition, stating: “We will continue to do the prophetic voice despite opposition,” and expressing willingness to “collaborate with the Government and the NGOs to strengthen the implementation but won’t support lifting the prohibition.”