Another hooch tragedy in dry Bihar, seven die after consuming spurious liquor in Siwan

By Alok Mohit

PATNA: More than a month after the hooch tragedy in dry Bihar’s Saran district that claimed over 70 lives, at least seven persons have died in the adjoining Siwan district after suspected consumption of spurious liquor.

All the victims were residents of Bala and Bhopatpur villages in Nabiganj police outpost area.

The deceased have been identified as Surendra Raut, 30, Naresh Raut, 42, Dhuredhar Manjhi, 37, Janakdeo Raut, 30, Rajesh Raut, 25, Jitendra Manjhi, 18 and Raju Manjhi, 35.

Officials said more than 20 people were brought to the Siwan Sadar Hospital on Sunday night. While one person was declared brought dead, two died during treatment on Sunday night and four others breathed their last on Monday.

The toll is expected to climb further, said a police official. “The condition of 14 people is critical. Six of them have lost their vison,” he said.

Siwan District Magistrate (DM) Amit Kumar Pandey said 12 people had been arrested in connection with the incident. He said the cause of death had not been ascertained so far. “The cause of the death will be known only after the post-mortem examination,” Pandey said.

Family members of the deceased, however, said many people had consumed country-made liquor on Saturday. “Within hours they started complaining of uneasiness, headache, nausea and vision loss. They were taken to Nabiganj primary health centre and Basantpur community health centre from where they were referred to Siwan Sadar Hospital,” the family members said.

Despite a liquor ban in the state, incidents of deaths due to spurious liquor continue to haunt Bihar.

More than 70 people had died after suspected consumption of hooch in Masrakh and Ishuapur villages of Saran district between December 14 and 18, 2022.

At least 11 persons had died after allegedly consuming alcohol in Maker and Bheldi police station areas of Saran district on August 4 last year.

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Earlier, two people had died and four others took ill after suspected consumption of spurious liquor at Ramdaspur Jipura village in Panapur police station area of Saran district on August 2, 2022.

In January this year five people were killed after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Dumraon of Buxar district. During Holi celebrations in March last year, about 37 deaths due to suspected drinking of alcohol were recorded in three districts.

In May, 2022, at least six people died after taking spurious liquor in Gaya and Aurangabad districts. Taking suo motu cognizance of the hooch tragedies in Gaya and Aurangabad, the National Human Rights Commission had expressed concern over the “recurrence of such incidents despite complete ban on liquor in the state.”

The NHRC had observed that the contents of media reports on hooch tragedies, if true, amounted to human rights violation.

Bihar has been a dry state since 2016 and manufacture, sale and consumption of alcohol is prohibited.

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