by Alok Mohit
PATNA, AUGUST 2: Two people died and four others took ill in ‘dry’ Bihar’s Saran district after suspected consumption of spurious liquor late on Monday night.
The incident took place at Ramdaspur Jipura village in Panapur police station area of the district, about 78 km north of state capital Patna.
The cause of death has not been ascertained so far by police and district authorities, but locals said all the six people had consumed countrymade liquor on Monday evening. “Later, they complained of breathlessness, stomach ache, nausea and blurred vision. They were taken to different health facilities in the district. While two of them died during treatment, one person has lost his vision. Three others are battling for life in different hospitals,” the locals said.
The villagers identified those who died as Rohit Kumar (25) and Mintoo Kumar (26). Sunil Kumar (35) had lost his vision, they said.
Incidents of deaths due to spurious liquor continue to haunt Bihar despite ban on sale and consumption of alcohol in the state.
In January this year five people were killed after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Dumraon of Buxar district. During Holi celebrations in March this year, about 37 deaths due to suspected drinking of alcohol were recorded in three districts.
In May, 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.
