Patna: Drawing a comparison with Britain and the United States, deputy chief minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav on Monday defended Bihar’s prohibition law, arguing no legislation can completely eliminate crime and laws are meant for the larger public good.Responding to questions on continued liquor smuggling despite the ban, Bijendra said anti-criminal laws enacted by the British Parliament 200-250 years ago have not emptied prisons. He also referred to a recent firing incident at a dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump, saying crime persists even in countries with strict laws. “Legislations are enacted for the majority of people,” he said, adding the prohibition policy would continue in the state.Backing his defence with enforcement data, prohibition, excise and registration secretary Ajay Yadav said since the enforcement of total prohibition in April 2016, over 17 lakh people have been arrested and more than 11 lakh FIRs registered for violations of the liquor ban. Over the past 10 years, authorities have seized 483 lakh bulk litres of illicit liquor and confiscated 1.67 lakh vehicles linked to prohibition-related offences.Ajay said 8,410 buildings and land plots have also been seized since the law came into force, reflecting the scale of enforcement under the state’s prohibition regime. He added by March 2026, officials had destroyed 4.73 crore bulk litres of liquor, accounting for nearly 98% of the total quantity seized during the period.Providing details on legal proceedings, Ajay said from April 1, 2016 to March 31 this year, a total of 11,37,731 excise cases were registered in special excise courts. Of these, 5,70,717 cases had been disposed of by March 2026, representing around half of all registered cases. Convictions were secured in 5,65,929 of the disposed cases, indicating a very high conviction rate.To strengthen enforcement, the Bihar govt has set up 84 check posts across districts, including 67 along inter-state borders. All are equipped with CCTV surveillance and function round the clock. Vehicle inspections are being conducted with hand-held scanners to detect illegal transportation of liquor.The state has also established 80 excise police stations and supplied enforcement teams with drones, motor boats, binoculars, sniffer dogs, breath analysers, drum cutters and hand-held scanners to intensify surveillance and raids. Officials said these tools are being used regularly to track smuggling routes and dismantle illegal liquor networks.Ajay said the prohibition call centre has seen a sharp rise in complaints, increasing from 70–80 calls a day earlier to nearly 300-400 daily. Based on these inputs, police and excise teams are conducting regular raids across the state.Drone-assisted operations have also expanded. At present, 42 drones are operational. Between Jan 2022 and March 31, 2026, authorities carried out 1,64,474 raids, leading to 8,834 cases. During these operations, 5,090 people were arrested, 51,74,548 litres of liquor were seized and 366 vehicles were confiscated. Sniffer dogs are also being deployed to detect liquor in prohibition-related cases.
