Aizawl, June 9: Mizoram police have refused to file a case against chief minister Lal Thanhawla, who allegedly drank beer, a criminal offence in the dry state.

Based on an image of Lal Thanhawla and his wife Lal Riliani drinking beer that did the rounds on social networking site Facebook, an NRI based in Sydney, Australia, filed an FIR in Aizawl police station on June 4.

Laltanpuia Pachuau, in his FIR, stated that as the image appeared to be authentic the chief minister and his wife committed an offence under the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act 1995. He, as a concerned citizen of Mizoram, demanded an inquiry into the matter and necessary action.

He said Foster’s beer, with its high alcohol contents, is illegal under the prohibition law.

However, the police have found the Facebook image as inadequate evidence to register a case.

Aizawl district superintendent of police L.R. Dingliana Sailo said, “A criminal case would not be registered as it would be impossible to prove that the chief minister and his wife, as alleged in the FIR and the accompanying photograph, were actually drinking beer.”

“Such photographs can be doctored or edited on computer, ” Sailo added.