Bihar: BJP MP's son, his friend arrested for consuming alcohol
(Sourced from PTI)
A BJP MP's son and his friend, arrested for consuming alcohol in the dry state of Bihar in Gaya, were produced in a city court and sent to the Gaya Central Jail under judicial custody on Monday. Gaya MP Hari Manjhi's son Rahul Kumar Manjhi was caught having alcohol on Sunday night along with his friend at Nama village, said police.
Under the spell of a stringent anti-liquor law for over last two years, Bihar has been declared a dry state with stringent punishment for the breach of the anti-liquor law. BJP's Manjhi, however, accused the police of falsely implicating his son in the liquor case.
The arrest drew sharp comment from opponent RJD as the saffron party is a coalition partner in the Nitish Kumar government. "There is a 'natak' (drama) going on in the name of prohibition. There is no ban at all which is evident from the fact that people are using and consuming liquor openly without the fear of prohibition law," said a senior RJD leader.
"I had informed the deputy inspector general of police of Magadh Range (Vinay Kumar) about illegal liquor trade in and around Nama village with the help of police... the police, instead of acting on my information, falsely implicated my son," said Manjhi.
Ruling JD(U) MLC and spokesman Niraj Kumar, however, said "prohibition law is effectively working in the state which is evident from the fact that no one is being spared, howsoever, high he/she may be. Even the son of MP has been arrested for violating the law." "This shows that prohibition law is effectively working in the state," he added.
Reacting to senior RJD leader Shivanand Tiwary's statement that Rahul Manjhi has been arrested because of being a Dalit, Kumar said the law is not applied as per the caste or creed of its violators, it is applicable to everyone who violates it.
