3 die in Bihar after consuming spurious liquor; 70 deaths so far this year
The bodies of three deceased people have been sent to Gopalganj Sadar hospital for post-mortem, which will determine the exact cause of death.
Three people have died in Bihar's Gopalganj, reportedly due to consuming spurious liquor, the police have said. They have reached Kushhar village in Gopalganj and have launched an investigation into the incident, Hindustan Times' sister publication Livehindustan reported.
Three other people fell ill after consuming the spurious liquor, Livehindustan further reported quoting Suprintendent of Police Anand Kumar. They are being treated in Champaran, he added.
The bodies of three deceased people have been sent to Gopalganj Sadar hospital for post-mortem, which will determine the exact cause of death.
This comes days after eight people died and several others fell ill in a similar incident in Muzaffarpur district. This has come as a shock to authorities where total prohibition is in place for five years.
The incident took place in Rupauli village under Saraiya police station on October 28. Two persons, including a member of the local panchayat samiti, were arrested in connection with the incident, police said.
From January to October this year, 70 people died and many others lost their eyesight after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Nawada, West Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Siwan and Rohtas districts, according to government figure.
Interacting with the media during his 'Janata Ke Darbaar' programme on Monday, chief minister Nitish Kumar appealed to people to cooperate with the government to curb such incidents as liquor is "bad for health and the society".
"I know majority of people are in favour of the prohibition in the state. A handful of residents violate it," he said.
The Nitish Kumar government had banned the manufacture, trade, storage, transportation, sale and consumption of liquor in the state on April 5, 2016. In September, the state government slightly tweaked its policy, which narrowed the area to be sealed in case of liquor haul.
According to modifications in Bihar Prohibition and Excise Rules, 2021, instead of sealing the entire premises, only the portion from where recoveries are made would be sealed.
The relaxation, however, would not apply in case of detection of liquor manufacturing or bulk storage from any premises or sale/purchase and supply from there. In that situation, the entire premises would be sealed as per provisions of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016.