Bihar hooch tragedy: 25 die, several hospitalized, lose eyesight as police arrest over dozen accused

The death toll in the Bihar hooch incident mounted to 25 on Oct 17 with several people undergoing treatment in hospitals and some among them losing their eyesight, police and officials said.

Police have arrested over a dozen accused persons for their alleged role in selling spurious liquor and raided over 100 places so far in Siwan and Saran districts — where deaths and severe health complications occurred a day before after the consumption of spurious liquor.

Director General of Police Alok Raj said that 20 people died in Siwan and five in Saran. A dozen people have been arrested for allegedly selling spurious liquor and they were likely to be “tried under the most stringent laws and punished by the court,” the state police chief said.

“Two Special Investigating Teams (SIT) have also been set up in the aftermath of the incident. The one set up at the local level will be looking into the criminality involved in the latest episode. Another SIT has been set up by the Department of Prohibition in Patna which will carry out a comprehensive study of all such incidents that have taken place in the recent past, based upon which a plan of action will be drawn out,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.

“The name of a liquor mafioso has cropped up. He happened to be involved in a similar case earlier and is currently out on bail. We are investigating the matter from all angles,” Raj added.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar directed officials to conduct a “comprehensive probe” and take “stern action” against those responsible.

However, Opposition leaders from the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal blamed the government for “failing to stop illegal liquor trade in the State” even as the State’s Prohibition, Excise and Registration Minister Ratnesh Sada demanded invoking the Crime Control Act against the liquor mafia.

Bihar police in a separate statement on Oct 17 said they have made several arrests and raided more than a hundred places in both the districts to nab the accused involved in the sale of spurious liquor.

“Four villagers who had consumed spurious liquor have lost their eyesight,” a relative of Dharmendra Shah of Ibrahimpur village under Masrakh block of Saran district was quoted as saying. Shah, (32) complained of blindness after consuming liquor and was hospitalized on Oct 16.

All the dead were residents of Madhar, Kaudia Vaishya Toli, Khairwan, and Lakdi Nabiganj villages under Bhagwanpur-Hat police station of Siwan district and Saran’s two villages — Gandaman and Ibrahimpur under Masrakh block. A woman, Ranju Devi of Khairwan village, died after drinking spurious liquor. “The death toll might go up in days to come,” a Khairwan villager was quoted as saying.

‘Toxic chemical in liquor may have caused deaths’

Officials were quoted as saying that “a highly toxic organic chemical compound, methyl alcohol, was found excessively in the spurious liquor which might have caused the deaths.” Post-mortem reports are still awaited, they said.

Saran Superintendent of Police (SP) Kumar Ashish was quoted as saying several people have been arrested. He said, “Some police officials have been suspended for dereliction of duty and raids are being conducted to nab those responsible.”

Siwan civil surgeon Dr. Shrinivas Prasad was quoted as saying that 25 people, including two women, are receiving medical treatment at the local hospital while four others have been referred to Patna Medical College and Hospital for better medical attention.

The Opposition held the government responsible for the deaths. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Priyanka Gandhi castigated at the ruling “double-engine NDA government for failing to stop illegal liquor trade in Bihar”.

“The opportunistic double engine government in Bihar is responsible for taking the lives of hundreds of people,” Kharge posted on X.

“Liquor ban is enforced in Bihar, but illegal trade of spurious liquor is going on in full swing, owning to which death occurs every day. The government should put a stop to this.” Ms Gandhi posted on X.

Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav in a statement alleged that “illegal liquor is available at every corner of the State because of police-politician-mafia nexus.”

"Who is responsible for the deaths of so many people in Siwan and Saran,” he asked.