PATNA: The munshi (literate constable) of a police station in Patna rural was arrested and forwarded to judicial custody on Monday on the charges of consuming liquor in violation of the provisions of Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act 2016.
Dinesh Yadav posted as munshi (literate constable) at Gaurichak police station was arrested after a video showing him consuming alcohol in the police station premises went viral on social media on Sunday.
The breathalyzer test confirmed that the cop had consumed alcohol.
Patna additional SP (Sadar) Sandip Singh said the investigation against the constable in question started after a video went viral on social media.
The breathalyzer test confirmed that the cop in question had consumed alcohol in violation of the Prohibition law.
“He was arrested after an FIR was lodged against him under the provisions of the Prohibition law in the state.
Investigation is underway to ascertain the involvement of other staff of the police station concerned,” addition SP told this newspaper on phone.
He said those involved in violating the prohibition law would not be spared.
“Since the investigation is underway, it would not be prudent to share more information at this juncture.
What I can say is that nobody found on the wrong side of the law would be spared,” he asserted.
The viral video, the authenticity of which TOI doesn’t confirm, shows the cop in question consuming alcohol in the premises of the police station where he was posted.
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 police man has been found consuming alcohol in violation of the prohibition law in the state.
The state prohibition, excise and registration minister Sunil Kumar had earlier told the state legislative assembly that altogether 186 police personnel and eight excise department staff have been sacked from their service after the charges of violating prohibition law were found to be true against them.
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.
The state came under prohibition in April, 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.