Latest news with #BiharProhibitionandExciseAct
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Drop by drop, how the border between Bihar and U.P. blurs in Jawahi Diyar village
In Bihar's Jawahi Diyar village along the border of Uttar Pradesh, life flows on an even keel. And so does liquor. While Bihar was declared a dry State in 2016, liquor flows freely in the riverine village, blurring the State borders, literally. With the arrival of noon, the remote village in Buxar district becomes a centre of activity. At times, too much activity — something that has become difficult for villagers like 68-year-old Awadh Bihari Yadav and his sons to ignore. While a portion of Mr. Yadav's humble home with unplastered walls lies in Buxar district of Bihar, the rest falls in Ballia district of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. 'The village youth often go across the border to get drunk and even smuggle in bottles,' says Satyendra, 30, Mr. Yadav's youngest son, a farmer. Not too far from their house is a liquor shop, announcing its presence with a red signboard hanging on a brick wall: 'Composite English/Beer Wine Shop'. Bottles and cash are exchanged through a single iron-grilled window. At the bend in the road that leads to the shop is a small shack that sells snacks. It's around 1 p.m. on a scorching June afternoon, but there are groups of men in their 20s sitting and drinking. They occasionally disperse on their motorcycles when they see a car with Bihar registration number. The man behind the counter is quick to reassure. 'Don't worry, this liquor shop is in U.P. and there is no ban on liquor here,' he says, wishing to remain anonymous. As an afterthought, he adds, 'The shop is owned by a person living in the neighbouring Ghazipur district, U.P.' In April 2016, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar banned the sale of alcohol in Bihar. With that, buying, selling, manufacturing, and consumption of liquor became prohibited in the State. If the law is violated, the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016, stipulates strict action, including a jail term. The prohibition However, hundreds of people, including police personnel have been caught for their involvement in the illicit liquor business. A month ago, 40 cartons of liquor were caught in an ambulance in Muzaffarpur district. In January, three policemen were caught for storing liquor in the Sultanganj police station in Patna. Two years ago, liquor was being sold from the Hajipur police station in Vaishali district. Liquor is smuggled from all neighbouring States, including some that don't share borders with it, like Haryana. Nepal, with which Bihar shares an international border, is another go-to place for liquor smuggling. In Jawahi Diyar, there is no barricade on the border that would have forced vehicles to slow down. On the Bihar side, the police stay at the Panchayat Bhawan, 200 meters away from the road that goes from Bihar to U.P. Around four police personnel operate out of here. The village, with 10,000-odd adults, is on the banks of the Ganga. Due to its riverine location, the village floods each year during the monsoon. 'We face two kinds of problems: seasonal displacement during the floods each year, and liquor,' says Mr. Satyendra. The nearest police station on the Bihar side is about 5 km away, at Brahampur, while in U.P. it is at Haldi, 15-20 km away. 'If some serious crimes like murder or dacoity take place in a house located in the village, the police first have to confirm whether it happened on the Bihar or U.P. side,' says another villager, wishing not to be named. The liquor store is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, he adds. 'Some of those drinking are also engaged in the illicit trade of bottles to Bihar and are dangerous people,' he says, adding that there is a nexus between the police and the Bihar Excise Department. 'Who doesn't want quick money in life?' he says. Karan Choubey, 35, another villager, points a finger towards some houses larger than the others. 'A few houses like these have been constructed overnight in the village,' says Mr. Choubey, hinting at illegal source of income, mainly though liquor smuggling. Strict vigil According to the police, however, they are patrolling hard. 'We are plugging holes on the borders in partnership with the State Prohibition and Excise Department. We have also sent a proposal to the State government to hand over prohibition matters to us from the CID (Crime Investigation Department) wing,' Bihar Additional Director General of Police Kundan Krishnan tells The Hindu. About the missing barricade on the border of Jawahi Diyar village, the officer says, 'There is a department [the State Prohibition, Excise and Registration Department, which usually puts up checkpoint by placing iron barriers] in Jawahi Diyar village too... I've no idea why it has been removed.' As per a report recently released by Bihar's Prohibition and Excise Department 'from April 5, 2016 until March this year, out of 84 checkpoints, 67 are inter-State, set up to prevent the influx of banned liquor in the State'. The report also states that as many as 9.36 lakh cases of prohibition law violations were registered in the State since April 2016, leading to the arrest of 14 lakh people. 'As many as 4.18 lakh cases were disposed of by special excise courts with 4.16 lakh convictions,' the report adds. The excise and police departments together, according to the report, seized 3.86 crore litres of illicit liquor. Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav often criticises the State government, saying that the 'prohibition has completely failed in Bihar'. The Chief Minister, though, continues to caution people with his oft-repeated 'Piyoge to maroge (if you drink, you die)' dictum and that his government would continue with prohibition, come what may.
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Time of India
Police crack down on bootleggers, seize liquor
Bhagalpur: Police seized 243 litres of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) from a car near the Zero Mile area under the Industrial police station in Bhagalpur and arrested one Allauddin Ansari, a resident of Balia Dangal village in Jharkhand's Pakur district. In a separate raid, the police arrested Vikash Kumar from Pakkisarai village under Ghogha police station and seized around 104 litres of country liquor in operations conducted across Sabour, Barari and Bypass police station areas. Another raid led to the arrest of Rubi Devi, wife of Guddu Choudhary, from Kirori Bazaar village under Habibpur Police Station. Nearly 150 litres of partly brewed country liquor was seized from the locality, which is known for clandestine brewing operations. All arrested people have been booked under the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act . It is worth noting that the 2016 amendment to the Act completely prohibits the manufacture, sale and consumption of both country-made liquor and IMFL in the state. Bhagalpur SSP Hriday Kant stated in a press communiqué that district officials have been instructed to tackle all criminal activities within their jurisdictions. "Special drives against criminal and anti-social elements have been under way for the past week," the SSP said.
Indian Express
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Eye on Pasi vote, Tejashwi, Chirag bat for toddy exemption from liquor, corner Nitish
When Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar was considering a liquor ban in the state in early 2016, he had faced resistance from his then senior Mahagathbandhan partner, the Lalu Prasad-led RJD. According to RJD sources, one of the reasons for the party's stance against prohibition was that several liquor traders then were from the Yadav community, its core base. However, the RJD had to give in due to Nitish's strong insistence and the point that the CM had got massive women support for his prohibition proposal. Yet, the RJD tried to impress upon Nitish the need to exclude toddy from the ambit of prohibition, sources said. But Nitish, who had led the Mahagathbandhan to a landslide win just a few months back in the October-November 2015 Assembly polls was unrelenting in his push for a total liquor ban in the state. Bihar saw complete prohibition since the enforcement of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act in April 2016. Last Sunday, addressing a gathering of the Pasi community (Scheduled Caste) in Patna, RJD leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, highlighted the RJD's opposition to inclusion of toddy in the 2016 prohibition law. 'I (as the then Deputy CM in the Mahagathbandhan government) had tried hard to convince Nitish Kumar to keep toddy out of the liquor category as the Pasi community had been extracting toddy from the palm and date trees for generations as their traditional occupation. But the CM did not listen,' he said. Tejashwi then reiterated that 'If the Mahagathbandhan is voted to power in the Assembly polls (slated for October-November 2025), we will exclude toddy from the prohibition law'. At the Pasi event, Tejashwi also announced that toddy would be given the industry status in the state. During his tenure as the CM in the 1990s, Lalu had waived off tax from toddy. The Pasi community accounts for about 1% of Bihar's population. They are the fifth largest group among the SCs which make up 19.65% of the population. As per an estimate, about 5 lakh Pasis had been earning their livelihood by selling toddy before the imposition of prohibition in the state. While Tejashwi has been trying to expand the RJD's base beyond the party's traditional M-Y (Muslim-Yadav) supporters, his repeated pitch for exclusion of toddy from the prohibition regime has been seen in political circles as 'a signal to lift liquor ban in a phased-manner in the event of the Mahagathbandhan's return to power'. Tejashwi has often underlined the 'failures' of the prohibition policy by citing the continuing seizure of liquor, mounting cases and overcrowding of jails with most undertrials held in minor cases belonging to the underprivileged and vulnerable sections. Since April 2016, the state has seen over 350 hooch deaths and 9.36 lakh prohibition-related cases involving 14.32 lakh arrests till March 31, 2025. The RJD's key ally Congress supported Tejashwi's stand on the toddy issue. Bihar Congress spokesperson Gyan Ranjan Gupta said: 'Pasi community takes immense risks in extracting toddy by climbing tall trees. By bringing toddy under prohibition, Nitish Kumar removed Pasis from their traditional occupation. A review should be done to restore the community's livelihood and its rightful claims on the toddy sale.' The JD (U) accused the RJD of doing a 'U-turn' on the issue and dared it to seek the views of women voters. JD (U) chief spokesperson and MLC Neeraj Kumar said: 'The RJD's constitution clearly says that only one abstaining from narcotic and psychotropic substances can become its member. In fact, RJD used to get financial support from liquor traders before 2016. I also dare RJD to get signatures from random women voters on excluding toddy from prohibition. As for our government, it has supported over two lakh Pasis by giving them Rs 2 lakh assistance each to raise goats and take up other professions.' The JD(U)'s senior ally BJP also hit out at Tejashwi over the row. BJP spokesperson Manoj Kumar Sharma said: 'Prohibition law was passed by the Bihar Legislature with a voice vote. RJD, which was the single largest party after the 2015 polls, supported total prohibition. What had stopped RJD from sending a team to the fields for a survey on the good or bad impact of toddy's inclusion in the liquor category? They are trying to make it a plank for the Pasi vote. But it would boomerang on them'. However, another NDA ally Chirag Paswan, the Union Minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) president, said that toddy is a 'natural product', holding that it must not be categorised as liquor in the state. 'I have said many times that as an NDA partner, my party may be supporting the government in the state, but it is not part of the regime here. I certainly believe that toddy, a natural product, must not be considered liquor,' Chirag told reporters while reacting to Tejashwi's statement. Significantly, while launching the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) on October 2 last year, Prashant Kishor had asserted that his party would lift liquor ban in Bihar immediately after coming to power and use the excise revenue from alcohol running into several thousand crore for improving the quality of education in the state. The state's total annual revenue from its tax collection and other sources currently stands at about Rs 56,000 crore. Facing various prohibition-related rows over the years, the Nitish government has made multiple amendments to the 2016 law. The last such amendment was brought in May 2023 when the state government decided to lower penalty for release of impounded vehicles from 50% of its insurance cover to 10%. In December 2021, the then Chief Justice of India N V Ramana had flagged the Bihar liquor law as an example of 'lack of foresight' that resulted in the High Court 'being clogged with bail applications… a simple bail application takes a year to be disposed'. Some key amendments were subsequently made to the prohibition law in 2022. One of them provided that first-time drinkers would no longer be imprisoned but would be only penalised with a fine of Rs 2,000-Rs 5,000 depending upon the socio-economic condition of the accused. This brought substantial reduction in people jailed for liquor consumption. Other amendments included reversal of confiscation of an accused house upon recovery of liquor, restoration of Rs 4 lakh compensation to the kin of a deceased in a hooch consumption case, and reduction of punishment for drinking alcohol from 10 years to 3 years. The government also provided for summary trial of the prohibition cases by an executive magistrate.
Scroll.in
27-04-2025
- Scroll.in
Bihar: 5 policemen injured as mob attacks station to free person held for violating prohibition law
Five police officers were injured in Bihar's Katihar district when a mob attacked a police station on Friday, allegedly to free a person arrested for violating the state's prohibition law, PTI reported. The sale and consumption of alcohol have been banned in the state since April 2016 under the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act. Katihar Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Sharma told PTI that the mob attacked 'the Dandkhora police station in the intervening night of Friday and Saturday with an aim to free a person arrested in connection with violation of the prohibition laws'. Sharma added that the mob entered the campus of the police station and started throwing stones at the policemen who were on duty. 'Five policemen were injured in the incident,' PTI quoted the superintendent of police as saying. The police officers fired in self-defence to disperse the mob, Sharma said. 'The mob could not free the arrested person from police lockup,' he added.
