Patna: Bihar’s women, who had once persuaded chief minister Nitish Kumar to impose complete liquor ban in the state, have now taken up the cudgels against smuggling and consumption of illicit liquor by lodging complaints on free toll numbers.
According to the state prohibition, excise and registration department, as many as 1211 women have lodged complaints related to the violation of the prohibition law on toll free numbers from January to June this year. On an average, 200 to 300 calls are being received daily on the toll-free numbers 15545 and 18003456268 of the department, in which a large number of women are registering complaints against their husbands, fathers, sons or relatives.
Complete prohibition law has been in force in Bihar since 2016. Along with the prohibition, excise and registration department, police administration, state`s women are also playing an important role in effectively implementing this law.
According to the department, a maximum number of 270 complaint calls were lodged in January, 223 in February, 212 in March, 167 in April, 150 in May and 189 in June. From 2022 to May 2025, a total of 3,96,305 complaints have been registered through these toll free numbers.
To successfully implement the liquor ban law and ensure the participation of the general public in it, the department has issued two toll-free numbers. On this, any person can make a secret complaint about the manufacture, storage, sale and use of liquor. The government had written these numbers on electricity poles to spread awareness. More than 20,000 raids have been conducted in the last three years, in which more than 14,000 people have been arrested.
