The Bihar Police have arrested the son of Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentarian Hari Manjhi for allegedly consuming alcohol, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday. Manjhi claimed that he had alerted the police about villagers in West Nama violating the state’s anti-liquor law, but instead the police arrested his son Rahul Manjhi.
“Some people do not want me to raise alarms on liquor law violation,” alleged Hari Manjhi, who represents Gaya in the Lok Sabha. “It was me who complained to police about open violation of the law. But, my son was made the target. It is good that police acted fast on my complaint but they ended up targeting my son.”
Gaya City SP Gaurav Mangla rejected Hari Manjhi’s claim, and said that the MP’s son and two others had tested positive for alcohol after the police held them during a surprise raid at the village on Saturday. “Rahul Manjhi’s alcohol concentration was 168 mg per 100 ml,” Mangla said. “They were remanded in judicial custody on Sunday.”
This arrest is a major cause of embarrassment for the Nitish Kumar government, which imposed prohibition in the state in April 2015. In 2017, Kumar claimed that the liquor ban had brought down crime rate in the state and helped improve the state’s economy.
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