Bihar: 15 cops suspended over death of 16 people in hooch tragedy

All police officers of the Town police station in Gopalganj were suspended in connection with the suspected hooch tragedy that claimed the lives of 16 people.

Fifteen police officers of the Town police station in Gopalganj were suspended in connection with the suspected hooch tragedy that claimed the lives of 16 people.

As many as 16 people are suspected to have died after consuming spurious liquor in Gopalganj in Bihar. (Subhendu Ghosh/ HT File Photo)

“The 15 policemen, including the officer in-charge of Town police station under which the tragedy took place in Khajurbanni locality were suspended yesterday on charge of dereliction of duty,” superintendent of police Raviranjan Kumar told PTI.

The tragedy was the first major incident reported in the state after Bihar declared total prohibition in April this year.

Santosh Kumar has been made the new officer-in-charge of the police station, the police superintendent, who ordered suspension of the errant officers, said.

Four others are still admitted in PMCH, hospital principal SN Sinha said, adding that eye surgeons have been directed to examine their eyes over fears that they might have lost their eyesight in the incident.

District magistrate Rahul Kumar said viscera and blood samples of the deceased were handed over to the Muzaffarpur Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team last evening after their post-mortem reports failed to reveal the cause of death.

The arrest of one more person in connection with the Gopalganj incident has takenthe total number of arrests to seven, the DM said.

The police superintendent said seven more accused are at large and a search was on.

Principal secretary of excise and prohibition KK Pathak was scheduled to visit Gopalganj on Friday to review the situation.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar, who has expressed grave concern over the Gopalganj tragedy, said the culprits would be dealt with under the stringent new liquor law.