Patna: A clash broke out between officials of the state excise and prohibition department and Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel at Katihar railway station on Friday during a raid on a train, leaving one excise constable injured. The injured constable, Dev Shankar Jha, was rushed to Katihar Sadar Hospital where he is undergoing treatment.According to excise and prohibition official Ravi Kishore Prasad, the department had received a tip-off that liquor was being smuggled from West Bengal by the Sealdah-Saharsa Hate Bazare Express (13163). Acting on the information, a team of officials in plain clothes reached Katihar station to conduct a raid when the train arrived around 8am on Friday, he said.However, the situation escalated when GRP personnel allegedly obstructed the excise team from carrying out the operation. “We were prevented from performing our duty and were assaulted without any valid reason,” Ravi Kishore Prasad alleged.Confirming the incident, rail DSP Arun Kumar Akela said a minor scuffle had occurred due to a serious misunderstanding between the two departments. However, all misunderstandings have now been cleared and resolved, he said, adding that the matter is currently under investigation.Incidentally, the incident has raised concerns over coordination between enforcement agencies involved in anti-liquor operations in dry Bihar, sources said.North Frontier Railway CPRO K K Sharma said he had sought a detailed report about the incident.
