Facing flak over the alleged gangrape of a 19-year-old woman in Bhopal, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced closure of liquor shops located near girls' hostels, religious places and schools across the state. The woman was allegedly abducted and raped by four men on October 31 night when she was returning home after attending a coaching class.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. File pic/AFP

The accused have already been arrested. After massive outrage over the incident, Chouhan had promised to hold weekly meeting on the issue of women safety. The first such meeting was convened yesterday. "The chief minister has directed (officials) to prepare a list of liquor shops located near girls' hostels, religious places and schools and to start the process to shut them down," a Public Relations department official said today.

He said there's no time frame for shutting down the liquor outlets. The chief minister also directed officials to close all 'ahatas' immediately. Ahatas are areas next to liquor stores where customers consume alcohol. Chouhan also issued directions to install CCTV cameras at entry gates of women's hostels in the state and asked officials to shut down liquor shops in sensitive places.