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Bihar hooch deaths: 6 more die, toll at 24
BETTIAH The death toll in two suspected cases of hooch deaths in Bihar over the last two days climbed to 24 on Friday with six fresh casualties, four from West Champaran and two from Gopalganj districts, prompting a crackdown in which 24 people have been arrested and five detained, while four policemen have been suspended
BETTIAH
The death toll in two suspected cases of hooch deaths in Bihar over the last two days climbed to 24 on Friday with six fresh casualties, four from West Champaran and two from Gopalganj districts, prompting a crackdown in which 24 people have been arrested and five detained, while four policemen have been suspended.
Sale and consumption of liquor is banned in Bihar since April 2016.
West Champaran and Gopalganj have recorded 13 and 11 deaths, respectively, in the twin hooch tragedies around Dipawali, an official said.
West Champaran’s superintendent of police (SP) Upendra Nath Verma confirmed four more deaths in the district took place after the ninth death reported late Thursday evening.
“We are waiting for the post-mortem report to reach any conclusion. Prima facie, these deaths appear to have occurred due to the consumption of poisonous substances,” he said, adding that nine others who had taken ill after consumption of alleged hooch in the district were undergoing treatment.
In Gopalganj, four people were under treatment after consumption of suspected hooch.
A station house officer (SHO) and a police chowkidar have been suspended in West Champaran following the incident, SP Verma said, adding that three persons have been arrested and five others detained for questioning.
West Champaran district magistrate Kundan Kumar said, “Medical teams have been deployed for check-ups and raids are going to arrest the other accused.”
This is the second such incident in West Champaran since July this year. At least 16 people died and four others lost eye sight due to consumption of spurious liquor in villages of Lauriya and Ramnagar block in July this year.
In Gopalganj, officials said over a dozen villagers complained of nausea, headache, vomiting and vision issues in Kushar village of the district after allegedly consuming spurious liquor, and were rushed by their kin to private hospitals in Gopalganj and Motihari.
“The SHO (Shashi Ranjan Kumar) of Mohammadpur police station and a chowkidar have been suspended,” said Anand Kumar, superintendent of police (SP), Gopalganj. In all, 20 people have been arrested in the Gopalganj case, he said.
In a related development, a joint team of Gopalganj police and excise department conducted raids on 63 locations and seized 572 litres of liquor, both countrymade and Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL).
The Gopalganj district administration has prepared the list of suspected liquor consumers across the district. “With the help of chowkidar and police officials, all the suspected liquor consumers have been identified and a list has been prepared. Those found drunk would be arrested,” said Dr Nawal Kishor Choudhary, district magistrate (DM), Gopalganj.
