The Bihar police on Saturday confirmed that four people have died after consuming spurious liquor in the East Champaran district of the state. The incident reportedly happened on the intervening night of Friday (April 15, 2023) and Saturday (April 15, 2023).
The Bihar police confirmed that the deaths took place in areas under the Turkauliya and Paharpur police stations of East Champaran. It also confirmed that seven persons have so far been detained as part of the investigation into the incident.
The police confirmed that the people who died in the incident were identified as Tuntun Singh (35), Bhutan Manjhi (40), Chotu Paswan (25) and Ashok Paswan (45).
“The district police is investigating the matter and trying to ascertain those involved in the illegal liquor trade. Excise department officials are also probing the incident,” the Bihar police said, adding that the forensic team has also been sent to the scene of the incident.
It’s worth noting that while the Bihar police have said that 4 people died in the incident, several media outlets have given varying fatality numbers. According to The New Indian Express, the Bihar hooch tragedy claimed 20 lives. As per the report published by Hindustan Times, 6 people have reportedly died in the incident. Jagran, meanwhile, claimed that as many as 14 people were left dead in the hooch incident in Bihar’s East Champaran district.
Meanwhile, taking note of the tragedy, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that he has asked the officials concerned to collect all information related to the incident.
Notably, Bihar has been a dry state since April 2016, when the Nitish Kumar government banned the sale and consumption of alcohol. However, despite the ban, Bihar has been marred with hooch tragedies claiming hundreds of lives.
Notably, last year, a similar incident happened in Bihar’s Chhapra district which claimed as many as 72 lives. Additionally, in Chhapra’s adjoining district, Siwan at least 5 people died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor. All five deceased are residents of Brahsthan and Sondhani villages of the Bhagwanpur Police Station area.
Following the incidents, five police officers including the Isuapur Police Station House Officer were suspended. The matter was taken up in Bihar Assembly. The Opposition, led by the BJP, took on the ruling JD(U)-RJD combined over the rising hooch deaths despite a ban on the sale and consumption of liquor in the state.
Amid severe criticism from the Opposition, led by the BJP, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had then said that no compensation will be given if a person dies after consuming spurious liquor.