Indri is often regarded as one of the most famous single malt whiskys in the Indian alcohol industry. The alcohol brand has won so many awards that it has become a symbol of national pride for the Indian alcohol industry. For instance, in 2024, India's first and most decorated triple cask single malt remarkably impacted the global alcohol market. The Indri-Trini became the fastest-growing single malt whisky in the world after it crossed the 100,000 cases milestone just two years after its launch.
For the uninitiated, Indri Single Malt Whisky has beaten recognised whisky brands from leading countries in the alcohol market after registering a 599 percent increase in its growth compared to 2023. Indri was launched in November 2021, and in just three years, it has won several awards, including Best World Whisky, Best' New World' Whisky, and Gold at the Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition. Despite winning several awards and titles, Indri is getting a lot of hate on social media.
Several meme pages have shared posts related to '#BoycottIndri' on Instagram, and many celebrities have pledged to stop buying the famous alcohol brand. The ongoing boycott trend against such an esteemed brand is getting bigger with the passing of each day. For the uninitiated, several people have decided to stop buying Indri due to an incident that happened on April 30, 1999, in Delhi's Mehrauli.
Around 2:00 am on April 30, 1999, a celebrity bartender and model named Jessica Lal was shot dead at a famous Tamarind Court restaurant located in Delhi's Qutub Minar area. The bar ran out of liquor at midnight, around 12:30 am, and four people entered the restaurant around 2:00 am. One of them was Manu Sharma, who is the son of the famous politician, Venod Sharma. After entering the restaurant, Manu demanded liquor, and Jessica Lal told him they had nothing to serve.
The politician's son offered her Rs. 1000 and asked her again, but Jessica Lal refused the money and apologised to him for not having any liquor. Despite Jessica's numerous requests, Manu Sharma continued asking for alcohol, and there came a moment when he pulled out his 22 calibre pistol and fired a shot at the ceiling in order to scare Jessica. But when she refused again, Manu shot Jessica in the head, after which a fight broke out between the group and hotel staff. Seeing Jessica's body lying on the floor and blood everywhere, Manu and his friends fled from the scene.
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Delhi police started the investigation, and Manu Sharma's politician parents, Venod Sharma and Shakti Rani Sharma, received a lot of backlash after their son was convicted in the case. Due to his son's involvement in the 1999 Jessica Lal Murder case, Venod Sharma had to leave the Congress Party in the same year. The politician was reportedly accused of bribing one of the witnesses during the case.
On December 15, 2006, the High Court ruled that Manu Sharma was guilty based on the evidence and punished him with a life sentence. When Manu Sharma was in jail, Rajkumar Gupta made the Bollywood film, No One Killed Jessica and Vikas Swarup penned a novel, Six Suspects, centred around the Jessica Lal Murder case. For the uninitiated, Manu Sharma's defence counsel was none other than the late legendary Indian lawyer, Ram Jethmalani.
It was in 2020 when Manu Sharma was released from jail based on his good behaviour. Many human rights activists and organisations working for women's welfare have criticised Manu being released from jail on the orders of Delhi's Lieutenant Governor. However, as per reports, even Jessica Lal's relatives agreed to Manu Sharma's release from jail. After serving 14 years in jail, Manu Sharma was released from prison in 2020, after which he made his mark in the Indian alcohol industry.
For the uninitiated, Piccadily Agro Industries Limited (PAIL) was established in 1953 by Kedar Nath Sharma. In the following years, his sons and their children took care of the large distillery and continued to take it to further heights. A person named Sidhartha Sharma owns the highest 27.73 per cent shares of Piccadily Agro Industries Limited. What's interesting is that Sidhartha Sharma is none other than Manu Sharma.
Yes! You read it right. Manu Sharma's birth name is Sidhartha Vashishta, and he reportedly changed his name to Sidhartha Sharma in order to work as an entrepreneur because his previous name, Manu Sharma, had criminal records. Now that people know Jessica Lal Murder case convict, Manu Sharma is Sidhartha Sharma, who is the manufacturer of Indri Whisky, people have started boycotting the famous product in the Indian alcohol market. Even when he was inside the jail, Sidhartha was also a part of Piccadily Agro Industries Limited (PAIL), the parent company of Indri Single Malt Whisky.
According to a report in The Sunday Post, Sidhartha Sharma (formerly known as Manu Sharma) is making good moves in Scotland's whisky industry. There are reportedly plans to start a new distillery in Bute and Argyll. The investment is around the whopping sum of 15 million USD. The Sunday Post reported that Jessica Lal Murder case convict, Manu Sharma was born with the name Sidhartha Vashishta but is now known as Sidhartha Sharma. It will be interesting to see whether or not the current '#BoycottIndri' will hamper the company's plans.
What are your thoughts on the ongoing trend, '#BoycottIndriWhisky'? Let us know.
Also Read: Who Is Lalit Khaitan? India's Newest Billionaire At 80, Man Behind 8 PM, Rs. 22395 Cr Radico Khaitan
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