Despite liquor ban in Bihar, hooch tragedy kills 10; probe ordered

Incident caused embarrassment to Nitish Kumar govt, which imposed ban on sale, possession and consumption of liquor.

A three-member medical committee was constituted on Wednesday to probe death of 10 people after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Bihar’s Gopalganj district.

The incident occurred in Khajurbani locality, where dozens people after consuming country made illicit liquor complained of nausea and stomach ache. They were rushed to a local hospital, where 10 people died while undergoing treatment.

“Two other persons were admitted to a private hospital in Gorakhpur for treatment,” sources from Gopalganj told Deccan Chronicle.

Refusing to confirm the reason behind the deaths, District Magistrate Rahul Kumar said, “We are probing the case and will be able to confirm the reason only after we get the postmortem report.”

The district administration has constituted a medical board to investigate into the matter. The incident has caused embarrassment to Nitish Kumar-led grand secular alliance, which had imposed ban on sale, possession and consumption of liquor from April 5 this year.

The state government had also strengthened it excise intelligence bureau and introduced new laws for stricter enforcement of prohibition in Bihar.

“This government has completely failed in curbing the consumption of liquor, despite imposing tough laws. The incident proves that law is just a tool to harass innocents, while others are simply defying the law. The chief minister must take moral responsibility”, senior BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav said.

(This article first appeared in Deccan Chronicle)