How 10-year-old Uttar Pradesh girl made officials relocate a liquor shop that had been a source of harassment for women

A 10-year-old girl’s brave decision to go without food and water for 48 hours under the blazing 40°C heat has finally made the Agra district administration listen. After weeks of protests by locals went unnoticed, Anshika Sikarwar’s hunger strike has prompted officials to begin shifting a liquor shop away from Kolara Kalan village in the Shamshabad block.

Anshika joined the protest after her father, Bunty Sikarwar, a local farmer, fell ill on Thursday. Speaking to TOI, Bunty said, “I wasn’t aware she was planning to participate in the protest. She had discussed it with her mother. We asked her not to join, but she refused and decided to give up food and water.” He added that although he was initially upset, he now feels proud of her for leading the village’s united stand.

The liquor shop has been a long-standing issue for the villagers. Protesters said they began demonstrating on April 1 after the shop's licence was renewed. The shop is located at a road crossing used frequently by women and girls, and many of them said they faced harassment from men drinking nearby.


“One of the major concerns is safety. Women and girls are often harassed while passing by. Domestic violence has also gone up, men come home drunk and beat their wives,” said one of the women involved in the protest.

Anshika, a Class 4 student, said she has also seen the problems the village has faced because of the shop. “My parents requested me not to sit on the hunger strike, but I made my decision and went ahead with it,” she told TOI. “We’ve seen so many issues because of this liquor shop.”

On Saturday evening, Anshika ended her hunger strike when Babita Chauhan, chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh state women's commission, visited the site. She offered the girl water and promised the liquor shop would be moved.

Agra’s district excise officer, Neeraj Kumar Dwivedi, confirmed the development. “I was with the chairperson at the site. We’ve reached an agreement with the villagers to shift the liquor shop. The contractor has also been informed. The new location will be chosen by the villagers after a discussion,” he told TOI.

Inputs from TOI