Veterans seek exemption to consume liquor in dry Bihar

Opposing the Bihar government’s total prohibition policy in the state, around 5000 ex-Army personnel on Friday took out a protest march demanding exemption from the prohibition act to consume liquor.

While briefing the media about their demand on Friday, Bihar state ex-servicemen league president N.K. Singh said that liquor consumption had become part of their life when they were in the Army, “but after the prohibition was imposed in April this year, we (ex-Army personnel) are finding it difficult to go without it.”

“After the retirement, Army provides us quota even in those states where prohibition laws have been effectively imposed,” he added.

A delegation of ex-servicemen league, led by Mr Singh, also submitted a memorandum to Bihar governor Ram Nath Kovind, seeking exemption from the existing prohibition law in the state. Acc-ording to the data released by the ex-servicemen league, more than 1,300 Army personnel have been arrested for violating liquor ban rules in Bihar after prohibition was imposed in the state.

A new penal law was imposed in Bihar to give more teeth to the liquor policy which has the provision to punish adult family members of the person caught consuming liquor.

Data shows that around 14,000 persons have been arrested since April this year and 11,679 litre of IMFL and 92,291.47 litre of country-made liquor were seized between April and August.

According to excise department reports, a total of 23,651.50 litre of liquor, smuggled from other states, was seized in the last five months with the maximum amount coming from Uttar Pradesh.