The continuing conflicts between two NDA partners in Bihar~BJP and the JD-U~ have reached a new level. In a huge embarrassment to the JD-U, the BJP has now accused the Nitish Kumar government of making a mockery of liquor laws stating that the prohibition has emerged as a tool for the Bihar police to “mint money”.

Angry BJP leaders led by their Auranbagad MP Sushil Kumar Singh yesterday staged a dharna in front of the Rafiganj police station in Aurangabad during which scores of leaders mocked the blatant misuse of liquor laws to make money by the police of the Nitish Kumar government.

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The dharna was staged shortly after the police arrested three BJP leaders on the charge of drinking on Friday. The arrested leaders were also allegedly beaten in police custody.

“It is very shocking that we have been compelled to stage dharna against our own government but we can’t be mute spectators to the police’s highhandedness. The police have arrested even those persons who are teetotallers. The police are openly selling liquors while the police stations have become a centre for brokers,” the MP alleged.

He added there are many places where liquors are openly available for sale but the police have refused to act since they get commission from there.

Kumar had enforced total prohibition in April 2015 while he headed the Grand Alliance government in the state in the name of checking domestic violence but the fact of the matter is that liquor continues to flow like water in the state despite liquor ban.

According to an official data, over One crore litres of liquor were seized in between January and January last year, indicating how liquor ban has turned out to be a sheer mockery. In December, total 95,534 litres of liquor were recovered during raids by the excise department. Muzaffarpur tops the list with the recovery of around 8.5 lakh litres of alcohol, followed by Vaishali, Saran, Gopalganj and Patna.