Patna: Police action against BJP MLA Vyas Deo’s son and his four friends for possessing liquor has aroused political reactions in Bihar.
They were arrested while trying to sneak into the state with liquor bottles on Monday morning. The police said that all the five youths including the high profile politician son were arrested from UP- Bihar border near Siwan.
“The politician’s son and his friends were arrested after two bottles of liquor were found from their car. Further investigation is on to find out where they got the liquor from”, Siwan SP Naveen Chandra Jha told reporters.
This was second high profile action by the police in last one year in connection with illegal prohibition trade. Vyas Deo Prasad happens to be a senior BJP leader and MLA from Siwan.
In April BJP MP from Gaya Hari Manjhi’s son, Rahul Manjhi was arrested along with his friends in a drunken state and was sent to jail for violating prohibition law.
“This has exposed how people associated with the ruling alliance have been violating prohibition law in the state. This is nothing but a drama as poor and backward people are usually targeted by the administration in Bihar”, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) Spokesperson Danish Rizwan told this newspaper.
According to Mr Rizwan, 43 people have been convicted till January this year for violating prohibition law of which 25 were from SC community and 15 from OBC.
According to reports over 23 lakh litres of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and country liquor has so far been seized. The state government had created a separate wing in the police department to ensure proper implementation of prohibition in the state.
Prohibition, consumption and dealing or conniving to sell liquor is a criminal offence under Bihar Prohibition law.
The law was termed as draconian as it also has the provision to punish adult family members of the person caught consuming or possessing liquor at his residential premises.
Last week Bihar CM Nitish Kumar gave an indication of possible amendments to the liquor law to prevent its misuse.
Liquor prohibition was the first major announcement by Nitish Kumar after he was sworn in as Chief Minister in 2015 following an emphatic election victory.
It was a promise he had made to a group of women who had complained about liquor addiction in rural areas.
The complete ban on liquor was imposed on April 5, 2016, but the stringent excise law was brought into force in October 2016 after Patna High Court had quashed the previous prohibition act.
Prohibition, consumption and dealing or conniving to sell liquor was made a criminal offence under Bihar prohibition law which provides for imprisonment up to 10 years and a fine of more than Rs. 1 lakh.
