Human life is precious, regardless of whether prohibition laws exist. The suspected illicit alcohol-related deaths in Mokokchung and Tuensang districts, with the reported toll reaching 23, are a grave cause for concern. While the authorities may be doing their best to contain the situation and investigate the circumstances, public anxiety and impatience are understandable. Every additional day without clear answers deepens the fear that more lives could be lost.
Hooch tragedies are not confined to states with prohibition laws. They have occurred in places where alcohol is legally sold, regulated and taxed. This does not settle the debate over prohibition, but it shows that public safety cannot be guaranteed simply by having a prohibition law or allowing the sale of alcohol. The immediate concern in Nagaland, therefore, must not be reduced to a debate over the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act, 1989. It must begin with the lives already lost and the urgent need to prevent further deaths.
As the Mokokchung Town Lanur Telongjem has pointed out, the issue also concerns the constitutional right to life. Article 21 of the Constitution protects this fundamental right, placing a serious responsibility on the State to safeguard human life. The government must intensify efforts to establish the source and distribution channels of the suspected spurious liquor, identify those responsible, and prevent dangerous substances from reaching the public. Timely information and visible action are equally important to reassure an anxious population.
Whether the NLTP Act should be reviewed, retained or amended is a legitimate and necessary policy debate. However, that is a related but different question that must not distract from the emergency at hand. A legislative review can follow through informed public discussion and evidence-based assessment. The immediate priority is to save lives, prevent further deaths and hold those responsible accountable. No law can be considered an end in itself. The protection of human life must always come first, with or without prohibition laws.
