Although Gujarat is a dry state and the state government tries to maintain strict implementation of the prohibition law, the flow of liquor into the state continues steadily, year after year.
Apart from criminals who smuggle in and sell alcohol here, apparently, the state machinery is also to blame for these lapses. This is evident in the number of cases lodged against government staff for prohibition-related issues.
According to data gathered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), this year, of the 28 cases lodged against home department staff until June, 32% comprised complaints made by bootleggers against officials for taking bribes so as to not lodge prohibition cases.
DP Chudhasma, assistant director of ACB said, "Of the 28 cases lodged against Home department staff, nine were lodged by bootleggers against cops for taking bribes. In these cases, a total of 12 accused were arrested including one sub-inspector, one assistant sub-inspector, five head constables, four constables and one citizen."
Data from last year revealed that a total of 81 cases were lodged against the home department with the ACB, of which 23% cases were lodged by bootleggers against cops. In relation to those 19 cases, ACB officials had arrested 32 accused, including 28 cops and four citizens.
"Of the 28 cases lodged this year, the maximum (14) were by traffic offenders, followed by bootleggers. Usually, bootleggers lodge a case when cops demand bribes from them by threatening to make false complaints against them," added Chudhasma.
However, not all of the complaints against government officials are genuine. When registering a complaint by a bootlegger, ACB officials usually verify all the facts and only then lodge a case. In many instances, the bootleggers make false allegations to simply harass or even intimidate cops.
According to the ACB assistant director, there have often been cases when bootleggers have called 1081, the ACB helpline, to lodge a complaint against cops. But later, when ACB officials have already started an investigation, the bootleggers would withdraw the complaint.
"In one such case, when we investigated, it was revealed that in order to scare cops, a particular bootlegger called the ACB helpline and later, took back the complaint. In fact, we found out that the cops were standing right in front of the bootlegger when he called us. We don't want to lodge cases against officials who are genuinely trying to carry out their duties. Owing to this, we usually verify all such matters before proceeding," Chudhasma concluded.
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