Senior cops plan strategy to check liquor smuggling

PATNA: The hooch tragedies reportedly claiming over 40 lives in Gopalganj, West Champaran, Samastipur and Muzaffarpur since Diwali eve have put the state police and excise department on their toes as CM Nitish Kumar is scheduled to chair a high-level review meeting on Tuesday to make prohibition law more effective in the state.
Additional chief secretary (home) Chaitanya Prasad and DGP Sanjeev Kumar Singhal have held a series of high-level meetings with the DMs, SSP, SPs and public prosecutors via videoconferencing in the last few days, including the one at the state police headquarters on Friday.
Prasad told TOI over phone on Saturday that directions have been given to arrest the accused and liquor smugglers from other states, increase conviction rate in courts and intensify raids in border areas. “We will have a meeting on the issue even on Sunday,” he said.
A senior IPS officer said the figures were being compiled to present a clear picture of prohibition before the CM during his review meeting.
A home department officer said the focus was now on intercepting trucks and vehicles carrying IMLF from outside the state. “Earlier, 65% of IMLF was smuggled through Uttar Pradesh border. Now, the situation has changed,” he said. The focus is also on country liquor manufacturing and smuggling as it is unorganised. “Micro-level action is required. Liquor seizure and arrests made this year are almost 1.5 times more than last year,” he said.
At a meeting held by ADG (headquarters) Jitendra Singh Gangwar and ADG (law and order) Vinay Kumar on Friday, the field officers were directed to conduct targeted raids and arrest repeat offenders. “The example of Gopalganj hooch incident was cited as the main accused was a repeat offender and had already been to jail twice in liquor smuggling cases,” a senior IPS officer said, adding installing GPS in police vehicles and landline phones in police stations were the other issues which were discussed.