'High in spirits': Drunk cops arrested in Bihar

Around ten days ahead of the much-hyped human chain event, slated to be formed in Bihar on January 19 to create awareness about prohibition, two police officials were arrested and sent to jail after they were found to be in an inebriated condition while on duty.

Bihar was declared a dry State in April 2016 after the Nitish Kumar regime brought a stringent law which imposed total prohibition in the State. Under the new legislation, consuming, carrying or dealing with liquor had been declared a criminal offence and the offender could be served a jail sentence of 10 years if found guilty.

Nitish has appealed to the people of Bihar to form a 16,200 km-long human chain on January 19 to spread awareness about prohibition and other social evils like dowry and child marriage. The human chain will also highlight Nitish’s pet programme Jal-Jeewan-Hariyali, which is aimed to create awareness about climate change and the environment.

As the State was gearing up for the human chain to spread awareness about prohibition, a police official, Munna Singh, posted as sub-inspector in Motihari, was arrested for performing duty in the police station in an inebriated condition. After medical examination, Singh was forwarded to jail.

In a similar incident, another cop Shailendra Pandey, posted at Katihar police station, was arrested after he was found to be on duty in a drunken state. Station House Officer (SHO) of Katihar, Krityanand Paswan, confirmed Pandey was arrested and forwarded to jail.

Meanwhile, the Education Department in Bihar, the nodal agency for human chain event on January 19, has written a letter to all the district magistrates asking them to keep all primary, middle, secondary and higher secondary schools in the State open on January 19, even though it’s a Sunday. The missive is aimed at maximum participation of students as well as teachers in the human chain programme.