Bihar: Two dead, few lose eye sight after consuming alleged spurious liquor in Muzaffarpur

In yet another unfortunate set of events unfolded in Bihar as many as two people died and another three lost their eyesight after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Pokhariya Pir under Kazi Mohammadpur police station limits on Sunday, September 24.

According to the police, upon receiving information of suspected liquor related death a police team was immediately dispatched to the location who after a preliminary enquiry has apprehended two suspects in connection with the case. Meanwhile the deceased have been identified as Pappu Ram and Umesh Shah of Ambedkar colony whose bodies were sent for postmortem.

Taking to twitter, the Muzaffarpur police said that evidence is being collected by the F.S.L team and an investigation is being conducted in the vicinity of the spot in connection with the deaths. Meanwhile Speaking to ANI, Muzaffarpur SP Abhishek Dixit said, “We received information that two people died after health took a turn for the worse all of a sudden. Preliminary inquiry has revealed that they had consumed countrymade liquor. We have arrested two persons in connection with these deaths.”

Reacting to the development, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed his condolences for the victims and announced financial relief of Rs 4 lakh for each family affected, contingent upon them providing a written commitment to support the state’s ongoing prohibition policy.

“The deaths are unfortunate. We’ll provide Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased from the CM Relief Fund. However, they should also give us an undertaking in writing that they are in favour of the liquor ban currently in force in the state and that they are against liquor addiction,” the Bihar CM said.

Meanwhile, slamming the Nitish Kumar-led Mahagathbandhan government, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary, Vinod Tawde while taking to Twitter said that the death of two people and loss of sight for several in Bihar has unmasked the state of liquor prohibition in state. The illegal sale of liquor is nothing but the outcome of the soft approach of the state government towards the liquor mafias.

It is to be noted that under the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act of 2016, Nitish Kumar’s government implemented a comprehensive alcohol ban throughout the state. However, despite the ban a number of hooch tragedies has cost lives of hundreds of people since the imposition of the ban.

Earlier in another horrific incident, as many as 27 people lost their lives after consuming spurious liquor in Motihari of East Champaran district in Bihar. The incident led to the suspension of more than a dozen policemen including five station house officers and others by Motihari’s Superintendent of Police, Kantesh Mishra.

In another incident in Bala village of Siwan as many as five people had also lost their lives after consuming spurious liquor in January this year. The incident occurred months after a major hooch tragedy unfolded in the neighbouring Saran district of Bihar, where more than 50 people lost their lives after consuming spurious liquor at Masrakh police station and nearby region. The incident triggered a brief tug-of-war between the opposition BJP and the Nitish led government after leaders of the saffron party attacked the Chief Minister over the tragedy.