Bihar completed five years of prohibition on Monday but illicit liquor and hooch deaths have been stalking the dry State raising questions over effective implementation of the law.
Easy availability of alcohol — both Indian-made foreign liquor and country-made — across the State has put a serious doubt over the government’s claim of stringent implementation of the law. The Bihar Excise and Prohibition Act came into effect on April 5, 2016.
In the last week of March 2021, as many as 15 people died and many others lost their sight after spurious liquor consumption in Nawada district alone. Some others lost their lives in Begusarai and Sasaram districts after consuming spurious liquor on the occasion of Holi (festival of colours).
The Nawada district administration first denied that the deaths were caused by hooch consumption. When Chief Minister Nitish Kumar sent a high-level team from Patna for investigation, the Nawada district officials admitted in a press conference that the consumption of spurious liquor might be the reason for the deaths. Action was later taken against a village chowkidar (watchman) and a police official for lapses in duty.
In 2016, as many as 19 people had died in Gopalganj district after consuming spurious country-made liquor and after five years nine accused persons were sentenced to death while four others were awarded life sentence.
Reports of hooch-related tragedies have been coming in from other districts as well, though the death toll has not been not as high as Gopalganj and Nawada districts. The death of two or three people in a hooch tragedy doesn’t make headlines in newspapers but people have been dying after consuming illegal spurious liquor ever since Bihar has been declared a dry State, alleged Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders from the Opposition. They say that liquor is easily accessible and even home delivered, though on much higher prices than prior to 2016. While it is common knowledge, the government turns a blind eye, they charged.
“The government must introspect on what has been achieved in the last five years of prohibition in the State and what has been lost. A huge loss of revenue has its visible impact on the State’s economy, and a parallel economy by those involved in illegal liquor smuggling has been running,” said a senior State Congress leader, seeking anonymity.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recently said, “Prohibition has a positive impact in society, especially on women of the State. It will continue in more stringent manner. Strong action will be taken against violators.” Mr. Kumar has also been sending messages that as long as he was in power, prohibition would continue.
Meanwhile, the traders of spurious liquor have been exploring different ways in smuggling. Ambulances, oil tankers and milk containers have been used to ferry illegal consignments. There have been reports of the use of coffins, bicycle tubes, LPG cylinders and watermelons to hide liquor bottles coming into the State from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Punjab, Haryana and even India’s neighbour Nepal.
In the last five years, over 3.46 lakh people have been arrested, 186 police and other officials dismissed, 60 tainted Station House Officers banned from postings and 97 lakh litres of IMFL and 53 lakh litres of country-made liquor seized in the State from April 2016 to February 2021.
“Such huge confiscation of illicit liquor validates what we’ve been saying — that prohibition has completely failed in the State,” charged RJD leader and party spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari.
