A few days after the sensational revelation was made by dry Bihar’s “teetotaller” cops that “boozer rats” were gulping down seized foreign liquor stored in the maal-khanas of police stations in Patna, a highly-sloshed president of Bihar Policemen’s Association (BPA) Nirmal Kumar and another office-bearer of the association Shamsher Khan, were arrested from Police lines on Wednesday night for drinking and creating a nuisance.
Both Nirmal Singh and Shamsher Khan, were produced before the court of Judicial Magistrate Seema Eram on Thursday, who remanded them in judicial custody for 14 days.
These arrests and the consumption of booze in the Police lines come as a major embarrassment to the IPS fraternity, as just a couple of days ago, Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj was told by cops that huge rats were not only uncorking bottles of seized booze, they were also guzzling and breaking the bottles. Apparently, the rats also knew their liquor as they were partial to top brands!
Manu Maharaaj was given this shocking information about the “alcoholic rats” at a crime control meeting with the Inspectors of police stations under his jurisdiction when he inquired about reports that the quantity of the seized liquor, stored in police maal-khanas was reportedly dropping by the day.
However, no senior officer was ready to buy the logic of the Inspectors that rodents were responsible for exhausting the booze stock. In fact, they were planning action against the erring cops heading the police stations and the maal-khanas.
So when the SSP got the information that an inebriated BPA chief was making merry in the Police lines after being served with liquor, a DSP-rank officer was rushed to the spot and Kumar was caught red-handed with liquor bottles. The top brand booze had obviously been taken out of the maal-khana of some police station.
SSP Maharaaj said from now on breathalyzers would be used to check cops on duty and he would personally visit police stations unannounced to catch people unawares.
After total prohibition was enforced in Bihar in April last year, it is the duty of the police as well as the excise and prohibition inspectors to seize the liquor smuggled in from other States. Strict punishment has been provided in the legislation if their negligence is proved. In all the 40 districts, there are 1,053 police stations and seized liquor is stored in most of them.
Inspector General (Patna Zone) Nayyar Hasnain Khan said, “I have directed the police officials concerned to seek permission from the court and destroy the seized consignment of the liquor instead of keeping it for a long time.” He added that there was no proper place to store the seized liquor in maal-khanas.
The Inspector of a police station in the capital requesting anonymity said, “The officials should also see the condition of the police stations and how we work. Big fat rats are a big nuisance and they destroy everything and consume everything they find. They also destroy files and documents.” Asked if they were also boozers, he innocently said, “I am not sure, but I have seen them breaking bottles.”