Patna: Another hooch tragedy is suspected to have struck Motihari in Bihar’s East Champaran district. While eight deaths were confirmed by local officials Saturday, the unofficial figures could be as high as 22 and may rise further.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was at his ancestral home in Bakhtiyarpur to kick off the second phase of Bihar government’s statewide caste survey, said the suspected hooch deaths were sad, “but people should not consume liquor”.
#WATCH | Bihar CM Nitish Kumar reacts to the death of several people in Motihari after allegedly consuming spurious liquor pic.twitter.com/y6TLdqteTP
— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2023
DIG (Champaran range) Jayant Kant told ThePrint that eight people have been confirmed dead and “another 10 are hospitalised, including three who are in a serious condition”.
Without ruling out spurious liquor as the cause of death, the DIG said one should wait for the post mortem report. He further stressed that police teams have been sent to three areas where deaths have been reported — Harsiddhi, Turkaulia and Paharpur.
Initially, the district administration had attributed the deaths in six villages to food poisoning. However, relatives of the deceased confirmed liquor consumption. “After harvesting the field, we all drank (Thursday) and by evening, I started to have a headache,” Vinod Paswan, who was admitted to a local hospital, told ThePrint.
Three others who consumed liquor with him died Friday evening, said Paswan.
According to police sources, spurious liquor was consumed Thursday evening in six villages including Laxmipur, Mathurapur, Math Lohiyar, and Balua. By Friday, two deaths were reported while another 10 people were admitted to local hospitals. On Saturday, the death toll rose to eight and more persons were hospitalised.
“The actual number of deaths will be difficult to know because several people were taken out of Motihari for treatment. I know at least two who died in a medical College in Muzaffarpur. At least 7 who died Friday were cremated without a post mortem,” C. Pandey, a teacher in Motihari, said to ThePrint.
Bihar BJP spokesperson Sanjay Singh (Tiger) added, “It’s difficult to know the actual figures in such tragedies as many people tend to hide the fact that the death was caused due to liquor consumption. But the main question is how liquor is available in Bihar when there is a complete ban.”
“Country liquor is made everyday. It’s only when the ingredients aren’t added in the right proportion that the liquor becomes toxic. Nitish ji knows that he has failed to implement the law, but is holding it up as his USP (unique selling point) for becoming a PM candidate,” said the former BJP MLA.
Hooch tragedies have been frequently reported in Bihar ever since the state government clamped total prohibition in the state in 2016. In December last year, spurious liquor claimed 37 lives — the unofficial figures were over 100.
CM Nitish Kumar, while ruling out any compensation to the affected families in the state assembly, had said at the time, “Jo piyega, so marega (Those who drink will die).”
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
Also read: Why liquor cases are still clogging Bihar courts — law eased, but govt, HC don’t see eye to eye