14 people dead in suspected hooch tragedy in three Bihar districts

At least 14 people have died, while one person lost his vision in a suspected hooch tragedy in Bihar’s Madhepura, Bhagalpur, and Banka districts during Holi, police said.

At least 14 people have died, while one person lost his vision in a suspected hooch tragedy in Bihar’s Madhepura, Bhagalpur, and Banka districts during Holi celebrations, police said.

At least 14 people died in suspected hooch tragedy in three districts of Bihar. (Photo for representation)

According to police, four deaths were reported from the Sahibganj block of Bhagalpur, three deaths from Digghi village in Madhepura district while at least seven deaths were reported from different villages under Amarpur police station in Banka district.

The person who lost his vision is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bhagalpur, police said.

Bhagalpur sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Prakash Kumar said the reason behind deaths is not yet clear. “The matter is being probed and we can’t say that the deaths occurred due to consumption of liquor,” the SDPO said.

Murliganj station house officer (SHO) Raj Kishor Mandal, however, denied that the deaths occurred due to the consumption of spurious liquor. The SHO said that the cause of the deaths could not be ascertained since the family members of the deceased had cremated the bodies before the police learnt about the incident. “Police have started investigating the case from all angles. 10 people have been arrested so far from various villages on Saturday,”

Banka superintendent of police (SP) Arbind Kumar Gupta said, “I have come to know about the deaths through media and I have constituted a team to probe the matter. Police are investigating the deaths from all possible angles but so far we haven’t got any clue.”

Meanwhile, Congress MLA of Bhagalpur Ajeet Sharma while reacting sharply over the deaths said, “Over 14 people have died in Bhagalpur alone due to consumption of spurious liquor during the last few months and administration is doing everything possible to suppress the news.”