Bihar IAS official on leave on liquor issue

Patna, Sep 10 (PTI) Bihar Excise and ProhibitionDepartment’s Principal Secretary K K Pathak has gone on leaveamid reports of his displeasure over the arrest of hisdepartment’s sub-inspector for taking action against a rulingJD(U) leader, from whose house liquor was seized. "I have asked the (state) government to find a secretaryfrom other department to replace me," Pathak, who has not beenattending office since last Wednesday, told PTI today. To a question about the arrest of the sub-inspector,Pathak said it was a "miscarriage of justice. Whatever hashappened is wrong. It would set a wrong precedent." A 1990-batch IAS officer, Pathak was a key man inenforcing the total prohibition in the state since April thisyear. The prohibition department team had allegedly recoveredliquor from the house of Chandradeep Sen alias Moti Singh,Harnaut block president of JD(U), on August 30. According to the latest figure of the Department, atotal of 4,167 persons were arrested in the past five monthssince the new Bihar prohibition law came into effect fromApril 1. As per records of the Excise and Prohibition department,11,679 litres of foreign liquor and 92,291.47 litres ofcountry spirit have been seized in the past five months. PTIAR SNS PRASV