India police force tells heavy-drinking officers to leave

Officials in the Indian state of Assam are asking about 300 police officers who they deem to have an alcohol problem to quit the force.

State Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said heavy drinking had affected their health and they were being asked to retire early.

Mr Sarma had earlier vowed to "cut the deadwood out of the police force".

Several Assam officers have been suspended for drunken outbursts while on duty, the Times of India reports.

Similar programmes were being implemented in other states, Mr Sarma said.

"It is an old rule, but we had not implemented it earlier," he said.

On Thursday, the chief minister stated that "obese" officers and those who have corruption cases hanging over them should also be asked to take voluntary redundancy.

He also instructed police chiefs to make sure their officers were staying fit.