A sales tax deputy commissioner was arrested in Bihar's Siwan district for consuming liquor in violation of prohibition law, the police said, on Saturday, July 7.
Deputy Commissioner Abhay Pandey, posted in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, was taken into custody late on Friday after two bottles of liquor were also recovered from his vehicle. Pandey was arrested from Ghutni check post near the Uttar Pradesh border, said Siwan Superintendent of Police Navin Chandra Jha.
Pandey, who belongs to Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, was on the way to Siwan to attend a marriage, Jha said.
Total prohibition was imposed in Bihar on April 5, 2016. So far over 1.5 lakh people have been arrested for violating the prohibition law, including sons of two BJP lawmakers in two separate incidents in April and July.
Last month, the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced that his government was bringing in amendments to the law banning liquor in the upcoming monsoon session. While he did not specify what changes were being made, the chief minister said that the amendments would close all the loopholes and end abuse of the law.
The BJP-JD(U) coalition government introduced the liquor ban in April 2016 as a means of controlling domestic violence. With the implementation of the ban, many people in the state have taken to other forms of alcohol, leading the several deaths over the years.
In August last year, 13 people died after consuming hooch in Gopalgunj. Nagina Pasi and his brother Lal Babu Choudhary were named as the main accused and arrested Choudhary while Pasi is still absconding. The police also seized over 550 litres of country-made liquor during the raid carried out in the Khajurwani ward of Gopalganj town.
