In dry Gujarat, after assault and disputes, drunken brawls have emerged as the third highest emergency where police intervention is required. An analysis by the state home department reveals that police have had to intervene more often to resolve drunken brawls than in road accidents, thefts, physical assault on women, domestic violence, and similar incidents.
Emergency Response Support System Data
The analysis is based on emergencies responded to after the introduction of the emergency response support system (ERSS) through the unified helpline 112. It also shows that the highest number of emergencies received by the police occur between 6 pm and 11 pm, with Sundays and Saturdays being the peak days.
Between September 2025 and April 2026, the 112 helpline responded to 6.38 lakh police emergencies. Among these, assault cases account for 18.30%, disputes for 13.21%, and drunken brawls constitute 11.10%. Rough estimates put the number of drunken clashes at around 70,000.
Integration of Services
Dial 112 Jan Rakshak services were launched across Gujarat on September 1, 2025, integrating six services: police, fire, medical, disaster, women helpline, and child helpline. According to a presentation by the state home department, 7.19 lakh emergencies were received between September 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026, of which 6.38 lakh were police-related. The data indicates that drunken brawls requiring police intervention are more frequent than other crises such as road accidents, thefts, traffic jams, domestic violence, women in distress, fires, and property damage.
Police Response Time Improvement
Gujarat DGP KLN Rao told TOI, “This trend shows that people are aware of the 112 helpline and also know about the law; they call police.” The presentation also noted that following the rollout of the 112 Jan Rakshak service, the police response time improved from 17 minutes 21 seconds in September 2025 to 12 minutes in April 2026, a reduction of 5 minutes.
Recent Incidents of Drunken Behavior
Earlier this month, a 53-year-old deputy mamlatdar, Mehul Bhatt, was arrested for creating a drunken ruckus in the Subhashnagar area of Bhavnagar. This marked his second arrest for similar behavior.
In October last year, a 19-year-old youth was arrested after he clashed with police during a raid on a high-profile party celebrating his businessman father’s birthday. A video of the incident went viral, showing the youth arguing vehemently with cops and attempting to snatch a police official’s phone before being restrained.
In September last year, a police constable in Vadodara was arrested for allegedly using foul language and abusing citizens while intoxicated. He was taken to the police station after locals complained of his unruly behavior in public.
In February this year, residents of a village in north Gujarat’s Mehsana district contributed to making a cage to lock up drunkards who create a nuisance in the village.
