At least 12 people died in West Bengal’s Nadia district after allegedly consuming spurious liquor, PTI reported on Thursday. Five people died on Wednesday while seven died on Thursday.
“The condition of 25 people, who are undergoing treatment at the Shantipur State General Hospital, is quite serious,” said District Magistrate Sumit Gupta. “Depending on the nature of their treatment, we will think of shifting them to hospitals in Kolkata.”
While family members of the dead claimed that they had consumed spurious liquor, police are yet to confirm the cause of their deaths.“We are waiting for the postmortem report and only then the cause of the death will be ascertained,” said Superintendent of Police (Nadia) Rupesh Kumar, according to The Statesman.
The state’s Criminal Investigation Department, which has taken over the case, has arrested four people for their suspected involvement in the sale of the liquor in Nadia district’s Shantipur area. “All the four people were produced before a court which has ordered police remand for all of them,” an unidentified officer told PTI.
West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra announced that the government has suspended at least 11 excise officials. He said the families of those who died will be given Rs 2 lakh each. Mitra said that the CID will also investigate whether spurious liquor is being smuggled into the state from Bihar and Jharkhand.
Meanwhile, the district police and the CID launched searches in the area and seized several litres of liquor.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!