The rats in Bihar seem to have once again “attacked” 200 beer bottles that were confiscated by the police and kept in the custody of the excise department. The district administration entered the godown premises, where the beer cans were kept, only to find neat holes on the aluminium and steel tops of the cans.
On questioning Kumari Anupam, sub-divisional magistrate, she blamed the rodents for damaging the cans and spilling out the beer. However, there was no sign of rats when the officials were working, as reported by International Business Times.
“It appears the handiwork of rats as only the cartons and cans have been damaged. The cans are in place and none are missing though most of them were leaking and empty. I will verify and submit a detailed report to the district magistrate for further action,” she said.
As reported by The Times of India, the SSP had ordered a probe into the matter, and according to Gopal Sharma, a scientist at Zoological Survey of India, Patna, it is possible for rats to consume alcohol in the absence of water, but the claims that the rodents can drink hundreds of litres of alcohol couldn’t be agreed upon.
“Officials are either drinking or selling the alcohol and then blaming it on the rats,” said VS Dubey, who retired as chief secretary of undivided Bihar and Jharkhand.
This is not the first time where such an incident has occurred in the dry state. In May 2017, a similar situation arose where the officials blamed the rats for drinking 900,000 litres of confiscated alcohol, reported BBC.
Bihar- a dry State
On November 26, 2015, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced a ban on alcohol in the state from April 1, 2016. It was also announced that violation of this law would attract imprisonment ranging from 5 years to 10 years. This move was seen as a way to reduce domestic violence, harassment, and poverty.
Subsequent search operations were conducted to confiscate the alcohol in the state.
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