Political slugfest begins as NHRC team arrives in Patna to probe Saran hooch tragedy

Senior JD(U) ministers Vijay Kumar Choudhary (finance) and Sunil Kumar (prohibition, excise, and registration) saying that it is beyond the government as to what the NHRC team had come looking for here.

PATNA: As a team of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) arrived in Patna on Tuesday to take stock of the Saran hooch tragedy, the toll of which, as per official figures, has claimed 42 lives against the Opposition’s claim of around 150, started a nationwide political slugfest with senior JD(U) ministers Vijay Kumar Choudhary (finance) and Sunil Kumar (prohibition, excise, and registration) saying that it is beyond the government as to what the NHRC team had come looking for here.

A 10-member NHRC team arrives at Patna airport on Tuesday. (Santosh Kumar/HT Photo)

“How is the Saran incident linked with human rights? We are unable to comprehend this. The very constitution of the NHRC is to protect and promote human rights. It has clearly defined what is human rights. And hooch tragedies happen across the country. More deaths have been reported in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat - be it due to hooch or accidents. The NHRC did not take cognisance anywhere. In Bihar, there is a prohibition, and campaigns have been undertaken by the government to sensitise people. What the Centre is doing is sheer politics to allow the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to have a foothold in the state,” said Choudhary.

In the Lok Sabha as well, the Saran hooch tragedy echoed with former union minister Ravishankar Prasad and JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh differing on the human rights of the victims. While Prasad demanded compensation to the kin of the victims and alleged that many of the victims were cremated under pressure without post-mortem and safekeeping of the viscera. “In a dry state, such huge smuggling of liquor cannot happen without the involvement of the police. The victims are mostly poor and the cremation of their bodies in haste without following the necessary norms is a clear case of human rights violation, and the NHRC, women’s commission, and child rights commission should also conduct an inquiry. This is a crime and Nitish Kumar cannot escape the responsibility,” he said.

JD(U) Parliamentary Board chairman Upendra Kushwaha also reiterated the same, saying the NHRC would do well to take a uniform view of incidents across the country.

The 10-member NHRC team, which will hand over its report to the Centre, is headed by its member Rajiv Jain. It did not answer any queries from the media at the Patna airport and straightway left for Saran, where it will carry out its own investigation and interact with the locals to get a feel of the situation and magnitude of the tragedy. The team will also meet the Saran district magistrate (DM) and Superintendent of Police (SP) and take stock of the steps taken so far by the administration.

A senior official said that the team also has some specialists. On return from Saran, the team will hold a meeting with the chief secretary and other officials to discuss the hooch tragedies in Saran and other districts.

The NHRC had earlier sought a report from the state government on deaths due to spurious liquor and informed about sending its own team to Saran.

Meanwhile, one Pramod Kumar Singh, a resident of Khalpura under Muffasil police station filed a complaint against the chief minister, deputy chief minister, excise minister and others with the court of chief judicial magistrate Rakesh Kumar, alleging that the named persons are responsible for the hooch tragedy. The court has listed the matter for further hearing on January 4.

The Saran police on Tuesday arrested two liquor smugglers identified as--Roz Mohammad and his associate Triloki Singh, in connection with the hooch tragedy. Saran SP Santosh Kumar said that incriminate documents have been recovered from their possession which are being scrutinized. “The SIT arrested nine people so far in the Masrakh hooch tragedy while 17 suspects have been detained for interrogation,” the SP said.