In Dry Bihar, Tipplers May Skip Jail Term If They Did THIS Under The New Order

The sale and consumption of alcohol were completely banned by the Nitish Kumar government in April 2016.

Patna: In the dry state of Bihar, tipplers now have a chance to escape jail term if they are caught drunk by the police. Under the state government’s new order, the police will not send those caught drinking alcohol to jail, if the offender spill the beans on their suppliers. If the police succeed in making arrests based on the information provided by the offender, then they will be spared from a jail sentence.

According to Deputy Commissioner, Excise, Krishna Kumar, the “relaxation” was being introduced to tighten the noose on the network of smugglers and peddlers. “Now, if a person is caught drunk he will be asked about the place and persons who made alcohol available to him. A raid would be conducted based on the tip-off and if the information is found correct, the informant will not be jailed”, he said.

The sale and consumption of alcohol were completely banned by the Nitish Kumar government in April 2016, a year after the Chief Minister made a promise to women of the state who complained about growing drunkenness.

Implementation of the prohibition law, which contains several draconian provisions, has been patchy and the state has lost more than 50 lives in hooch tragedies reported since November last. Ham-handed attempts by the police at enforcement, which include arrests of visitors from outside the state and raids on wedding parties, have led to much resentment.

The Chief Minister has been trying to make prohibition effective through didactic public meetings and equipping police personnel, involved in the crackdown on violators, with high-end resources like helicopters, drones, satellite phones, motorboats, and sniffer dogs.

(With PTI inputs)