Assam: Two Excise Officials Suspended After Illegal Liquor Factory Busted in Shantipur

CHIRANG: The Superintendent of Excise, Chirang district, Gouranga Choudhury, and an Excise Inspector, Dibyajyoti Sharma, have been suspended. The duo face charges of serious misconduct of duty following a high-profile raid that exposed a large-scale illegal liquor manufacturing unit operating under them.

The Governor of Assam signed off on the suspension order following a secret operation conducted on June 19. A joint task force, comprising excise officials from neighbouring Bongaigaon district and a special enforcement team dispatched from Guwahati, successfully dismantled an illegal liquor manufacturing unit located in Shantipur, a sensitive area along the India-Bhutan border in Chirang.

However, the local excise authorities, including Choudhury and Sharma, were kept entirely out of the loop regarding this major operation, raising serious questions about their oversight and accountability. The raid yielded a substantial haul, with raw materials and counterfeit liquor valued at approximately ₹50 lakh seized.

The illicit products included alcohol being brazenly marketed under several well-known branded labels, posing a grave public health risk and causing significant losses to the state exchequer.

The governor’s directive explicitly cited the suspended officials’ alleged failure to control illegal liquor activities within their jurisdiction, asserting that their inaction facilitated the establishment and continued operation of such activities, thereby compromising both law enforcement efforts and public safety.

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