The Delhi High Court has stayed proceedings in a criminal defamation case filed against Sudarshan TV and its editor Suresh Chavhanke in connection with allegations that his channel made false accusations against a madrasa. The case against Chavhanke was filed by Mohammed Tufail Khan
China said on Sunday (August 23, 2026) it was postponing its planned ambitious Chang'e-7 lunar mission, which was set to carry out explorations including searching for water ice on the moon. The Chang'e-7 spacecraft was originally set to lift off in the coming days from the Wenchang Space Launch
Canada’s Carney Puts His ‘No Deal Is Better Than a Bad Deal’ Doctrine to the Test The prime minister ’s approach has broad support from the Canadian public and his political opponents, but it isn’t without risks. Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 14:05:27 IST WSJ Prefer HTon Google Share via
A group of former cricket captains, including Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar and one of England's longest-serving skippers Sir Alastair Cook, have called on Pakistan to ensure its ex-PM Imran Khan be given proper care while in custody. The cricketer-turned-politician has been in jail since
Fewer than 20 commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz at the weekend, shipping data showed on Monday (August 24, 2026), as Iranian and U.S. blockades restrict traffic through the chokepoint for energy shipments. Four vessels crossed the strait on Sunday (August 23, 2026)
Why Bihar continues to struggle with illegal alcohol sales
Why India's poorest state continues to struggle with illegal alcohol sales
Nine years after imposing a statewide alcohol ban to curb addiction, domestic violence, and financial ruin among its poorest families, Bihar - India's poorest state - still struggles to gauge the policy's effectiveness.
The gaps in implementation became glaring as the BBC shadowed Bihar officials in a misty October morning raid on bootleggers.
Armed excise officers, with a sniffer dog, sped across the Ganges on a boat to raid an illegal distillery.
On reaching the outskirts of the capital, Patna, the team found a ramshackle setup of a dozen metal drums - part of a makeshift apparatus fermenting jaggery, a type of cane sugar, into country liquor.
Vapour rose from the drums embedded in the riverside mud, the surfaces still warm.
The officers said the site was active minutes earlier, but the alcohol-makers had fled by the time they arrived.
"They often get tipped off before a raid," an officer who didn't wish to be named said.
Despite these enforcement gaps, alcohol prohibition remains firmly in place in Bihar.
Passed in 2016 by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after persistent demands from women's groups, the law was among the factors that helped his Janata Dal (United) - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance clinch a decisive state election victory earlier this month.
State officials tout the policy's success by pointing to big numbers: since the law took effect, 1.1 million cases have been registered and 650,000 people convicted for violations. But the devil lies in the detail.
More than 99% of these convictions are for consumption, rather than production, selling, or transport of illicit liquor. Moreover, alcohol remains widely available in the black market in Bihar.
In the six weeks leading to the recently held election, illicit alcohol worth more than 522 million rupees ($6.26 million, £4.96 million) was seized from across the state.
So why has Bihar been unable to enforce its ban more effectively?
Local police, who did not want to come on record, say it is a combination of several factors - including staff shortages, increasingly sophisticated smuggling methods and possible collusion between liquor makers and authorities.
"There are laws that prescribe life imprisonment or even the death penalty for murder. But does that stop people from committing murder? No, it doesn't," said Ratnesh Sada, an outgoing minister whose department handled prohibition issues.
Mr Sada, however, insisted that action has been taken against at least a hundred individuals engaged in illegal alcohol trade, with their properties seized.
"We destroy these setups, but within days they are up and running again," said Sunil Kumar, an excise official.
Bihar's geography makes enforcement even harder. The landlocked state borders Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal - all of which allow alcohol and serve as major sources of smuggled liquor. It also shares a 726km (449 mile), largely porous border with Nepal, which officials say has become a key conduit for alcohol smuggling, further complicating enforcement.
Despite the challenges, many women in Bihar - who still carry deep scars from their husbands' alcohol abuse - want the ban to continue.
In Chhapra district, Lalmunni Devi, who lost her husband after he consumed toxic liquor in 2022, said her life had been upended by alcohol abuse.
"I just hope no one else has to suffer the same fate," she said.
Neetu Devi, another widow, broke down as she recalled her husband's death.
"If the government were to shut down all such factories entirely, it [liquor] would no longer be available. It continues to be produced, and that's why people keep consuming it," she said.
Rajeev Kamal Kumar, an anthropologist at Patna's AN Sinha Institute of Social Sciences, who worked on a government study of prohibition, says both sides of the story are true.
"Many women and elders say prohibition has improved household finances, children's education, and nutrition. But it is undeniable that illegal trade continues," he said.
Bihar is neither the first nor the only Indian state to impose prohibition; several others have tried it over the years. But such measures often trigger unintended consequences - from thriving black markets and deaths from illicit brews, to enforcement challenges that drain state resources.
The financial cost has also been considerable, as alcohol taxes remain a key source of revenue for many state governments.
Gujarat and Nagaland have had bans since 1960 and 1989, yet both still grapple with bootlegging.
Mizoram imposed prohibition in 1997, lifted it in 2015, reinstated it in 2019, and then relaxed it again in 2022 to allow the manufacture, sale and export of wine made from local grapes.
Some other states have rolled back prohibition after encountering economic and administrative challenges.
For now, with the outgoing government slated to return to power, prohibition will remain in Bihar. But the policy remains a paradox - hailed as a social reform by some, criticised as ineffective by others.
Whether it has succeeded or merely shifted the problem underground is a question that continues to haunt the state.
Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
Source: BBC
Related Posts: World
India had asked the United States not to allow reporters to ask questions during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France in June, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said on Saturday
9 hours ago
Former Australian captain Greg Chappell with the support of 20 other former international skippers appealed to the Pakistan Government led by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, to provide ‘humane treatment and proper medical care’ for Imran Khan
12 hours ago
The shock resignation of Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran earlier this month has left corporate India's top job vacant. But finding his successor will be no easy task for the country's most revered conglomerate, whose sprawling $300bn empire spans Jaguar Land Rover and Air India as well as
12 hours ago
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian defended a memorandum of understanding with the United States as the best way out of a stalled war. Meanwhile, the new head of the Islamic Republic's top security body warned, in a more forceful tone, of retaliation if neighbouring countries support U.S
12 hours ago
Authorities in China have launched an investigation into reports of formaldehyde being used to preserve the freshness of cabbages for human consumption. Officials in the northeastern Hebei province confirmed that they had verified footage showing individuals dipping cabbages in a solution before
12 hours ago
Three newborns died after a fire that broke out in the neonatal intensive care unit of a government hospital in Maharashtra’s Amravati district in the early hours of Monday, PTI reported. The fire broke out at the Amravati District Women’s Hospital around 3
12 hours ago
Imran's party demands immediate cardiac care for him at Shifa International Hospital Imran's party demands immediate cardiac care for him at Shifa International Hospital Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 11:10:49 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Islamabad
12 hours ago
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s three-day visit to New Delhi in July 2026 for the India-Japan summit appears to have elevated relations between the two Asian countries into a fresh phase of strategic expansion. Ties had already undergone a remarkable transformation over the past decade
12 hours ago
How well do COVID antivirals actually work? Not as well as we thought How well do COVID antivirals actually work? Not as well as we thought Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 11:11:50 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Sydeny, If you're aged over 70
12 hours ago
On Sunday, in a post on X, Wali said the audio contained "explosive evidence" and claimed that Brar admitted his gang had ordered Nijjar's killing, alleging that the assassination was driven by an inter-gang feud. Ottawa: Three years after NIA designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in
15 hours ago
Until recently, there would have been little to distinguish Vietnam's so-called Justice Tree from the hundreds of others lining the streets of Hanoi. Then the bouquets started piling up. It was here that former politician Nguyen Sy Cuong was driving his BMW in May last year when he veered into the
15 hours ago
Fast-fashion giant Shein says it plans to raise up to HK13.86bn (£1.3bn; $1.77bn) when its shares start trading on the Hong Kong stock market on 1 September. In a filing on Monday, Shein said it will offer nearly 280 million shares for between HK$47.60 and HK$49.50
15 hours ago
A fast-moving, wind-driven wildfire near Reno, Nevada, has forced about 42,000 people to evacuate, while another 45,000 have been urged to prepare to leave. The Hawk Fire has burned 15,040 acres, destroyed some homes and injured six people. Officials declared a state of emergency as the blaze
15 hours ago
Former Indian diplomat Navdeep Suri has raised concerns about the verification process under the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Suri, a retired Indian Foreign Services officer, went through the process in Punjab. It is among the 16 states where the voter roll revision is being
15 hours ago
A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 rattled eastern Japan, including the Tokyo area, early Sunday (August 23, 2026), injuring more than 20 people, most of them slightly, officials said. There was no danger of a tsunami. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency
1 days ago
Chinese humanoid robots broke records set by humans, including beating Usain Bolt’s 100-meter sprint world record, on the opening day of the Olympics-like World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Saturday (August 22, 2026). More than 2,000 humanoid robots were participating in the event
1 days ago
One afternoon in 1907, a young accountant named Chandrasekhar Venkata Raman walked into the laboratory of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science at 210 Bowbazar Street in Calcutta. Though he had a passion for the sciences, colonial India offered no stable careers in the field
1 days ago
Three first information reports were filed against 14 identified and more than 200 unidentified persons on Saturday in connection with clashes between the police and student protesters a day earlier, PTI quoted Ranchi Superintendent of Police Paras Rana as saying
1 days ago
Did an Amazon delivery guy assault a 71-year-old man in California? What we know about the attack and lawsuit A California lawsuit alleged that an Amazon delivery driver assaulted a 71-year-old man at an Elk Grove gas station. Updated on: Aug 23, 2026
1 days ago
‘Pure evil’: Videos of mothers splashing water at their kids spark outrage amid Lindsay Clancy trial Social media videos of mothers throwing water at their children have sparked concerns amid Lindsay Clancy's trial. Published on: Aug 23, 2026
1 days ago
The sister of jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday (August 22, 2026) filed a petition in the Supreme Court, accusing the government and senior officials of violating the top court’s order to shift him to a private hospital for medical examination and treatment
1 days ago
The United States and Canada have entered into uncharted territory. The longtime allies and economic partners, who have enjoyed free trade for decades, are now in an escalating trade war with no clear off ramp. And for Prime Minister Mark Carney
1 days ago
Harrisburg weather update: Special Weather Statement issued for central Pennsylvania as thunderstorms bring 40mph wind NWS has issued a Special Weather Statement for Harrisburg and surrounding parts of central Pennsylvania. Published on: Aug 23, 2026
1 days ago
The police in Maharashtra’s Latur have registered a first information report against Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the Cockroach Janta Party political campaign, for allegedly entering a government school without permission, threatening teachers and defaming the institution
1 days ago
The United States and Iran exchanged defiant messages ahead of Monday’s (August 24, 2026) scheduled announcement of new U.S. economic sanctions that could impact the Islamic Republic and Tehran’s most important trading partners including China
1 days ago
Fourteen people were killed in military air strikes at a monastery in Myanmar early on Friday, opposition fighters and a local rescue worker have said. All of those killed were elderly and a number of monks were also injured, the rescue worker told BBC Burmese, adding that the site was struck twice
1 days ago
The Armed Forces Tribunal on Thursday upheld an administrative censure for a brigadier who was commanding a sector of the Rashtriya Rifles in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district in December 2023 when three civilians died during an interrogation following a militant attack
1 days ago
