As the death toll from the hooch tragedy in the 'dry state' of Bihar continues to rise, as many as six people have died due to the consumption of hooch in Muzaffarpur, while many others are in critical condition. The total number of deaths confirmed by the Bihar administration stands at 34.
The Muzaffarpur deceased, who succumbed after consuming spurious local liquor, had belonged to Kanti's Sirsia village.
"Raids have also been conducted in that area in the past. Further action will be taken on the basis of taking the statements of the relatives of the deceased. The matter will be clear only from the post-mortem report. Action is being taken against the spirit traders continuously in the district. Raids are also going on," Senior Superintendent of Police Jayant Kant told reporters.
Kanti SHO Inspector Kundan Kumar, and two watchmen – Nagendra Paswan and Mohammad Islam – have been suspended in connection with the case.
Meanwhile, reports of deaths due to the consumption of illicit liquor have also emerged from Bihar's Buxar district.
Two people have allegedly lost their lives after drinking poisonous alcohol in Chausa of Darsal Buxar, as per the the family members. The deceased, shoe maker Jagjivan Ram and gardener Jai Prakash, had died on 1 November and 4 November respectively.
The police, however, has claimed that the deaths have occurred due to natural causes.
13 Dead in Gopalganj, 51 Arrested in the Past 3 Days
As many as 13 persons have been reported dead due to the consumption of hooch in Gopalganj, Times of India reported, citing officials.
The Bihar Police, which is conducting a major clampdown on the illegal liquor trade in the state, has arrested 195 people in the case, of which 150 are businessmen and 45 are drinkers, The Quint has learnt from official sources.
Gopalganj SP Anand Kumar told Times of India that the police has arrested 51 persons and has confiscated hundreds of litres of alcohol from the district in the last three days.
In Gopalganj's Mahmadpur, 8 businessmen have been arrested and sent to jail in the liquor case.
Those arrested include Guddu Sah, Naval Kumar, Murat Kumar, Saroj Kumar, Ramanand Ram, Devendra Ram, and Chandan Kumar.
'Strong Action Initiated Against Those Involved in Spurious Liquor Rackets': Bihar CM Nitish Kumar
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday, 8 November, chaired a high-level review meeting of the hooch situation in the state. The chief minister said on Monday that officials have been directed by the state government to take measures against those involved in the trade of liquor.
"Further decisions would be taken during the assessment meeting on November 16. Efforts are on to create awareness against liquor and officials have been directed to take adequate measures in their respective jurisdictions," Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency IANS.
"Strong action has been initiated against people involved in spurious liquor rackets," he added.
(With inputs from IANS and Times of India)
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