Liquor Ban in Bihar: Nitish Kumar Relaxes Stringent Provisions of Prohibition Law on Alcohol
Opposition leaders have alleged that Dalits and OBCs were being arrested and harassed by police in the name of prohibition.
Patna, July 11: The Bihar cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, on Wednesday approved amendments for easing some of the most stringent provisions of the tough prohibition law passed to enforce statewide liquor ban. The amendments were approved to curb the miuse of the liquor prohibition law.
"The state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has approved amendment to the prohibition law to curb its misuse," an official in the Chief Minister's Office told IANS. The proposed amendment seeks to remove stringent provisions sending the entire family to jail if liquor was found in their house.
Nitish Kumar has repeatedly said that a bill amending the prohibition law to be curb its misuse will be brought during the state assembly's monsoon session in July but asserted that prohibition will continue. The chief minister had admitted the some provisions were being misused and and assured that the law would be amended.
Opposition leaders have alleged that Dalits and OBCs were being arrested and harassed by police in the name of prohibition. More than 1.5 lakh persons have been arrested for violating liquor prohibition in Bihar till date since it was imposed on April 5, 2016.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 11, 2018 09:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).