Hooch tragedy kills 25 in Bihar; 12 arrested, political slugfest on

Siwan accounts for 20 fatalities, 5 deaths have been reported from Saran

PTI

Patna, Updated At : 06:06 PM Oct 17, 2024 IST

In one of the biggest hooch tragedies in Bihar since the state went dry in 2016, at least 25 people have died after consuming spurious liquor in the adjoining districts of Siwan and Saran, a top officer said on Thursday.

Director General of Police Alok Raj said while Siwan accounted for 20 fatalities, five deaths have been reported from Saran even as 12 people have been arrested for allegedly selling spurious liquor and they were likely to be "tried under the most stringent laws and punished by the court".

"Two special investigating teams have also been set up in the aftermath of the incident. The one set up at the local level will be looking into the criminality involved in the latest episode. Another SIT has been set up by the Department of Prohibition in Patna which will carry out a comprehensive study of all such incidents that have taken place in the recent past, based upon which a plan of action will be drawn out," the DGP told PTI video.

"The name of a liquor mafioso has cropped up. He happened to be involved in a similar case earlier and is currently out on bail. We are investigating the matter from all angles," he added.

The incident also led to a political slugfest in the state, with the opposition questioning the availability of hooch despite prohibition.

According to officials in the two districts, tragedy befell Maghar and Auriya panchayats of Siwan and Mashrakh in Saran on Tuesday night when a number of locals treated themselves to liquor, the sale of which was completely banned in the state by the Nitish Kumar government way back in April 2016.

The officials also said that more than 20 people were still battling for life at hospitals, many of them having lost their eyesight as a side-effect of the spurious liquor.

State Prohibition Minister Ratnesh Sada vowed to bring in a stringent "CCA" (crime control act) to rein in liquor mafia, but snapped at reporters when asked whether he saw the latest incident as a "failure" of the much-touted prohibition law.