Patna – Bihar has recorded 190 confirmed deaths due to illicit liquor consumption since the state imposed prohibition in April 2016, a senior excise official said on Friday. Despite the ban on manufacturing, trade, storage, transportation, sale, and consumption of alcohol, liquor smuggling remains rampant in the state. Authorities continue their crackdown on bootleggers, but enforcement challenges persist.
“The state has witnessed around 190 confirmed hooch deaths across different districts since 2016. The highest number of fatalities were reported from Saran, Siwan, Gaya, Bhojpur, Buxar, and Gopalganj,” Vinod Singh Gunjiyal, secretary of the Department of Prohibition, Excise, and Registration, told PTI.
A statement from the department highlighted the scale of enforcement efforts:
- Legal action: 9.36 lakh cases have been registered for prohibition law violations, leading to 14.32 lakh arrests.
- Liquor seizures: Authorities have confiscated 3.86 crore bulk litres of liquor, including country-made alcohol. Of this, 97% (3.77 crore litres) has been destroyed.
- Vehicle seizures: 1.40 lakh vehicles used for liquor transportation have been seized. The auction of 74,725 such vehicles has generated ₹340.55 crore in revenue.
- Technology & surveillance: The department is deploying drones in select districts and using 33 sniffer dogs to track down illicit liquor activities.
Revenue Collection & Digital Expansion
The department also reported a record revenue collection of ₹7,648.88 crore from land and flat registrations in the fiscal year 2024-25, surpassing the ₹7,500 crore target. To streamline property registrations, officials plan to expand the ‘e-nibandhan’ system, allowing citizens to apply for registrations remotely.
Bihar’s liquor prohibition law, one of the strictest in India, continues to spark debate over its enforcement and socio-economic impact, as authorities balance stringent measures with modern surveillance tools.
