Patna: It’s for causes of “humanity” that the Bihar authorities has determined to melt its stance in the direction of drinkers and provides an ex gratia quantity of Rs 4 lakh to the households of those that died attributable to consuming spurious liquor, says state prohibition, excise and registration minister Sunil Kumar, a former police officer.
Talking to ThePrint at his workplace at Patna’s sprawling Vikas Bhawan, Kumar says work on this path is already underway. District magistrates have obtained orders to gather knowledge on hooch deaths since 1 April 2016 — which is when prohibition got here into impact within the state below the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act — and to determine who’s eligible for compensation.
“On the premise of the autopsy stories and circumstantial proof, the DMs will determine which individuals died attributable to consumption of spurious liquor previously seven years,” he explains. The funds for the ex gratia fee, he provides, will come from the Chief Minister’s Reduction Fund.
The choice to award compensation got here within the wake of one more ‘hooch tragedy’ within the state. To this point, 31 individuals in Motihari, East Champaran district, have reportedly misplaced their lives this month after consuming adulterated liquor.
Because the demise toll mounted, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar introduced the compensation on 17 April — contingent on members of the family writing to the district Justice of the Peace about the reason for demise and in addition disclosing the supply of procuring the spurious alcohol. The CM additionally mentioned he was “deeply pained” by the deaths.
This was fairly a departure from his stance over the past large ‘hooch tragedy’ in December 2022, wherein an estimated 50 individuals had died in Chhapra district’s Saran.
Again then, Nitish had pushed again towards criticism of prohibition, refused to award compensation to victims, and had additionally controversially warned “jo piyega, wo marega (those that drink hooch will die)”.
So, may there be a change of coronary heart concerning the stringent prohibition legislation within the offing?
To this, Sunil Kumar’s response is an emphatic no.
“There was no change within the legislation. The choice (to provide compensation) was taken on the premise of humanity,” he says. Most victims come from economically weaker sections, he provides.
Kumar acknowledges that because of the legislation, “many individuals cremated their family out of worry with out informing the administration”, however reinforces that households will get compensation provided that a postmortem report exhibits that the demise was attributable to spurious liquor.
Listed below are excerpts from an interview with the prohibition minister concerning the state’s liquor ban and the criticism round its efficacy.
Additionally learn: Nitish Kumar is driving a tiger with prohibition in Bihar. Everybody is aware of it’s failed
‘Extra liquor deaths in UP, MP, Punjab’
A former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 1987 batch who joined the Janata Dal (United) forward of the 2020 Bihar meeting election, Sunil Kumar nonetheless appears to take an energetic curiosity in policing.
Final week, he visited Motihari and ordered native authorities to arrest anybody concerned within the sale of spurious liquor.
“Prohibition has nothing to do with spurious liquor,” he says. “Unlawful earnings are its driving pressure.”
“Previously (seven) years, we’ve seized lakhs of litres of liquor. On the identical time, greater than 230 policemen have been given strict punishment or dismissed for being concerned with liquor mafia,” he says, sometimes fielding calls and greeting guests from his house constituency of Bhore in Gopalganj.
One other downside in implementing the liquor ban, Sunil Kumar claims, is that Bihar shares borders with Nepal, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal
“Now we have fashioned an anti-liquor job pressure, arrange 84 test posts throughout the state, and arrange 74 particular courts. Now we have arrested greater than 500 individuals promoting unlawful liquor from different states (since 2016),” he tells ThePrint.
However, critics have blamed the state’s spate of liquor-related deaths on prohibition, arguing that the ban has helped bootleggers function with none regulation, and that it’s the poor shopping for low cost native liquor who’re disproportionately affected. Final October, the Patna Excessive Courtroom additionally noticed in an order that the legislation tended to focus on poor individuals somewhat than liquor mafias and that narcotics had been proliferating after the ban.
Requested about liquor-related deaths, Sunil Kumar says that 2021 and 2022 noticed an elevated variety of circumstances, however claimed that the casualties in Bihar had been comparatively low in comparison with another states.
“Between 2016 and 2022, the deaths attributable to consuming alcohol in Bihar have been a lot much less in comparison with different states. Extra deaths have occurred in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab than right here although there isn’t any prohibition,” he says.
It’s price noting that constant knowledge on Bihar’s hooch deaths is difficult to return by. Whereas BJP MP and former deputy CM Sushil Modi claimed after the Saran tragedy final December that “greater than 1,000 individuals” had died attributable to spurious liquor within the state after prohibition was enforced, the state authorities has claimed the quantity is round 200.
Bafflingly, knowledge from the Nationwide Crime Information Bureau (NCRB) exhibits that solely 23 individuals died attributable to consuming spurious liquor in Bihar throughout this span.
On clogged courts
Whereas liquor-related arrests have been aplenty in Bihar, the state’s judicial system is notoriously clogged with pending circumstances filed below the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016. The conviction charge can also be paltry.
Based on an Indian Specific report, between April 2016 and October 2022, greater than 4 lakh circumstances had been lodged below the liquor legislation. Of the 1.4 lakh circumstances that went to trial, lower than 1 per cent led to a conviction.
When requested concerning the pendency of circumstances, Sunil Kumar refused to remark. He did, nevertheless, level out that the legislation had been amended 3 times.
“Conditions change with time. We gave aid to these individuals who had been caught consuming alcohol for the primary time. For this the legislation was additionally amended,” he says.
This modification, which permits first-time offenders to get off with a superb somewhat than jail time, happened final March after the Supreme Courtroom chastised the Bihar authorities over liquor circumstances choking the state’s courts.
‘Over 90% of individuals help prohibition’
Sunil Kumar claims that Bihar has seen a big discount in incidents of home violence, accidents, and “eve-teasing” ever since prohibition got here into pressure.
That is among the many the reason why most individuals, particularly girls, help the liquor ban, he provides. He factors to the findings of a survey on the impact of prohibition, performed throughout all 38 districts final yr by the Chanakya Nationwide Regulation College (CNLU).
“As per the survey, greater than 90 per cent of individuals, particularly girls, are in favour of prohibition,” Kumar tells ThePrint.
“When the chief minister took out the Samadhan Yatra, girls overtly appreciated (prohibition). Nevertheless, individuals demanded that the state authorities take stricter motion on these issues,” he provides.
CM Nitish Kumar had gone on the Samadhan Yatra, a state-wide tour, final January to really feel the heart beat of the individuals on prohibition and different points. The tour got here shortly after the Saran liquor tragedy led to a clamour from opposition BJP leaders in addition to allies to alter the alcohol coverage within the state.
With the newest tragedy in Motihari, the opposition is elevating questions concerning the legislation with renewed vigour.
As an example, on 22 April, the BJP’s Sushil Kumar Modi requested Nitish Kumar 10 questions associated to prohibition in a tweet. He mentioned that wealthy individuals get off simply whereas solely the poor are being jailed below the prohibition legislation.
पूर्व उपमुख्यमंत्री ने शराबबंदी से जुड़े पूछे 10 सवाल, आम माफी की अपील
— Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) April 22, 2023
The prohibition minister, nevertheless, says that some dissent is at all times to be anticipated.
“For those who herald any legislation, there’s sure to be opposition to it, be it from the social perspective or from the financial perspective. However each occasion in Bihar has supported it,” he claims.
He provides that the liquor ban is a chunk of “social laws” that would not have been fulfilled with out political will. “Our chief (Nitish Kumar) has proven it will.”
Additionally learn: Public taboo, personal brew: Hooch to international booze, ‘dry’ Gujarat has by no means had alcohol scarcity