Bihar: Toll in spurious liquor tragedy rises to 11

The toll in the spurious liquor tragedy in Bihar’s Saran district has climbed to 11, officials said on Saturday, reported PTI.

The sale and consumption of liquor has been banned in Bihar since April 2016. However, there have been several instances of citizens dying and falling ill after drinking spurious liquor in the state.

The latest incident came to light after two men died and several others fell ill. Most of the victims were residents of several villages under the jurisdictions of the Maker and Bheldi police stations.

Twelve persons are seriously ill and most of them have lost lost their eyesight, according to PTI.

On Friday, District Magistrate Rajesh Meena and Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar said that five persons have been arrested for manufacturing and selling spurious liquor. At a joint press conference, they said that the station house officer and the local chowkidar have been suspended.

“A team of police, excise and medical officials were sent to the spot and those fallen ill were admitted to the Sadar Hospital,” they told reporters in Chhapra town. “Those whose condition worsened were rushed to PMCH Hospital in Patna.”

Nine persons died while being treated at Patna Medical College and Hospital, one at a private health facility and another was cremated before the administration came to know about the incident, they said.

This was the second instance of spurious liquor-related deaths in Saran district this year. In January, five persons had died in a similar incident.

Last month, 42 persons died after drinking spurious liquor in Gujarat’s Botad district. Gujarat, like Bihar, has also banned the sale and consumption of alcohol.

Opposition parties in Gujarat have criticised the state government in the wake of the deaths, calling for strict implementation of the prohibition policy.