Haridwar, May 14 -- Members of the saint community, teerth purohits, pandas, monks and civil society representatives have expressed concern over the alleged consumption, supply and availability of liquor in Haridwar, despite the city's status as a dry area. The outrage among saints surfaced after a man was arrested with 50 bottles of liquor near the Jatleshwar Mahadev temple adjacent to the Ganga canal ghat in Jwalapur on Tuesday evening. The accused, identified as Suresh Kumar, a resident of Ghas Mandi in Jwalapur, was allegedly supplying English liquor to customers, said officers familiar with the matter. Members of the saint community said the incident involving the sale of liquor near a temple has hurt the sentiments of . "Saints oppose any activity related to alcohol and non-vegetarian food in Haridwar. In fact, liquor should be prohibited across the entire district as lakhs of devotees visit Haridwar every day and such illegal acts hurt their religious and spiritual sentiments," said Hari Chetnanand. Civil society representatives have also formed a Jan Sangharsh Samiti under the leadership of Rahul Chaudhary and warned that they would take to the streets in protest if consumption and availability drugs and alcohol are not curbed. "Liquor is being made available illegally not only in far-flung areas but also within the city and near several Ganga ghats. An entire nexus is operating and younger people are being targeted. We will resort to RTI applications and sit-in protests if such illegal activities are not fully reined in," said social activist JP Baduni. Teerth purohits also objected to the alleged illegal liquor supply and availability within the city. "The administration should launch a major crackdown on such anti-social elements to maintain the sanctity of the pilgrim city. Earlier too, we had objected to incidents of illegal liquor supply after which the administration swung into action. We demand a total ban on liquor across Haridwar district," said teerth purohit Ujjwal Pundit. On the alleged rise in illegal liquor-related activities, police officers said the administration has intensified its crackdown against those involved. "We are carrying out surprise inspections, checking vehicles and suspicious persons at border checkpoints, sensitive areas and public places, besides taking action against people consuming alcohol in the open," said senior superintendent of police Navneet Singh Bhullar....