In 'dry' Bihar, drunk man found hanging in Bhagalpur police custody

In an irony of sorts, a 26-year-old man, who was arrested on the charge of drinking in Bihar which is a dry state, was found hanging in the lock-up of Kahalgaon police station of the Bhagalpur district on Sunday, the police said. The man, identified as Dilkhush Kumar, committed suicide inside the lock up in an inebriated state.

The sale and consumption of liquor had been completely banned in Bihar by the Nitish Kumar government in April 2016. This incident puts a question mark on lapses on the part of the state government and the police in failing to prevent the sale of liquor.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Manoj Kumar Sudhanshu said Dilkhush Kumar beat up his mother and family members in a drunken state, he said. He was brought to the police station on the written complaint of his mother, the SDPO said.

Initial breath analyser test and subsequent medical examination confirmed that he had consumed liquor, Sudhanshu said.

The body was sent for a post-mortem examination at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital in Bhagalpur. Sudhanshu said that he would personally inquire into the incident and will try to find out whether or not the incident is the result of any lapse on the part of the police personnel.