Law Kumar Mishra

Patna: Agitated over the suspension of 11 station house officers (SHOs) of different police stations for their alleged failure to control liquor business under their respective jurisdiction, Bihar policemen association on Monday demanded their immediate reinstatement.

Mritunjay Singh, president of the association which has inspectors, sub-inspectors and ASIs as its members, submitted a memorandum to DGP PK Thakur requesting him the suspended officers be reinstated within a month. The General Body of the association will meet here on August 28, he said to decide next course of action.” Nowhere in the country  this kind of provision has been made, ” he claimed.

Association president Singh said police officers and men would be forced to go on mass casual leave to press their demand. CM Nitish Kumar has declared the officers-in-charge of police stations would be suspended if liquor was found in their jurisdiction.They would not be made in-charge of police stations for the next ten years, the CM recently announced in the state assembly.

The officers-in-charges, who have been suspended, have been charged with not cracking down on liquor business in the last four months since complete prohibition was enforced on April 5. The officers-in-charges of Masaurhi and Phulwarisharif in Patna, Makhdumpur in Jehanabad, Chand(Kaimur), Dehri (Rohtas), Maranga and Rupauli in Purnia, Sultanganj in Bhagalpur, Motihari Muffasil in East Champaran, Runnisaidpur and Bairgania in Sitamahi districts were suspended on Sunday.

Meanwhile, in a first incident of its kind, captain Dhiraj Kumar of Signals Corps of Indian Army was arrested by Government Railway police at Hajipur railway station on August 7 night for carrying 22 bottles of liquor in Guwahati-New Delhi Rajdhani Express. During  checking of luggages by the GRP at Hajipur station of East central railway (ECR), liquor bottles issued by Army canteen were found with the army official who had come to Hajipur to attend a marriage in the family. He claimed he had obtained liquor genuinely from the canteen. However, under the new excise law which prohibits carrying of liquor even by army and securitymen, he was arrested and sent to 15 days judicial custody. The GRP informed the senior officers of captain about his arrest. He is posted at Shillong.

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