PATNA: In a state where policemen have to enforce liquor prohibition law, a munshi (constable) was arrested and sent to jail on Monday for boozing inside the police station.
Dinesh Yadav, posted at Gaurichak police station in rural Patna, was arrested after a video showing him consuming alcohol on the police station premises went viral on social media on Sunday.
The breathalyser test confirmed that the cop had consumed alcohol, Patna additional SP (Sadar) Sandip Singh said.
“He was arrested after lodging of an FIR against him under the provisions of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act 2016.
Investigation is underway to ascertain the involvement of other policemen posted there,” Sandip said.
The viral video, the authenticity of which TOI doesn’t confirm, shows Dinesh consuming alcohol at the police station.
Some people serving him the banned commodity have also been spotted.
However, their identity is being ascertained, authoritative sources in the SSP office said.
This is not the first occasion when a policeman has been found consuming alcohol in violation of the prohibition law in the state.
State prohibition, excise and registration department minister Sunil Kumar had earlier told the state legislative assembly that altogether 186 police personnel and eight excise department staff had been sacked for violating the prohibition law.
In addition, 60 station house officers (SHOs) were debarred from appointment to this post for the next 10 years as punishment, the minister had told the House.
Liquor was banned in state on April 5, 2016.
Since then, over 3.46 lakh people have been arrested for violating the liquor law.
Among them, around 5,000 people were arrested from states like Punjab, Haryana and Jharkhand for supplying the banned commodity in ‘dry’ Bihar.