Archive · 17 Sep 2026
Jyoti Yadav’s Investigation Exposes Bihar’s Intertwined Sand and Liquor Mafias
Jyoti Yadav is a journalist who investigated two illegal businesses in Bihar.
One business takes sand from the Sone river without permission.
The other makes liquor illegally.
She found that both businesses provide money to people who may not have other jobs.
The money can also connect to local leaders and elections.
Different caste groups are involved in different parts of the work.
Reporting was difficult because people watched for outsiders and some politicians would not talk.
Jyoti did the investigation while caring for her six-month-old daughter and later won a rural reporting prize.
Journalist Jyoti Yadav investigated illegal sand mining and liquor production in Bihar’s Aurangabad district.
Her reporting found that the two activities create parallel rural economies for young men with limited employment options.
The investigation linked proceeds from the illegal businesses to local power networks and election funding.
Caste influences the work, with Yadavs prominent in sand mining and Paswans, Mushars and Mallahs involved in liquor production.
Yadav spent two days reporting with her six-month-old daughter and received The Statesman Awards for Rural Reporting 2025’s Second Prize.
- Who
- Journalist Jyoti Yadav, villagers, workers and local networks involved in Bihar’s illegal sand and liquor economies.
- What
- An investigation into how illegal sand mining and illicit liquor production are intertwined with employment, caste and politics.
- When
- Yadav spent two days reporting in the area after returning from maternity leave; the investigation received recognition in 2025.
- Where
- Bhagwan Bigha village and surrounding areas in Daudnagar block, Aurangabad district, Bihar, near the Sone river.
- Why
- Yadav sought to produce a hard-hitting investigation and found that the two illegal businesses had become closely connected.
- Journalist
- Jyoti Yadav
- Reporting location
- Aurangabad district, Bihar
- Main activities investigated
- Illegal sand mining and illicit country-liquor production
- Key village
- Bhagwan Bigha in Daudnagar block
- River
- Sone river
- Reported political link
- Money from the networks is used to fund politicians during elections
- Award
- Second Prize, The Statesman Awards for Rural Reporting 2025