Hooch tragedy kills 25 in Bihar; 12 arrested, political slugfest escalates

Patna: In one of the biggest hooch tragedies in Bihar since the state went dry in 2016, at least 25 people have died after consuming spurious liquor in the adjoining districts of Siwan and Saran, a top officer said on Thursday.

Director General of Police Alok Raj said that while Siwan accounted for 20 fatalities, five deaths have been reported from Saran even as 12 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".

"Two special investigating teams 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," the DGP told PTI video.

"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," he added.

The incident also led to a political slugfest in the state, with the opposition questioning the availability of hooch despite prohibition.

According to officials in the two districts, tragedy befell Maghar and Auriya panchayats of Siwan and Mashrakh in Saran on Tuesday night when a number of locals treated themselves to liquor, the sale of which was completely banned in the state by the Nitish Kumar government way back in April, 2016.

The officials also said that more than 20 people were still battling for life at hospitals, many of them having lost their eyesight as a side effect of the spurious liquor.

State Prohibition Minister Ratnesh Sada vowed to bring in a stringent "CCA" (crime control act) to rein in liquor mafia, but snapped at reporters when asked whether he saw the latest incident as a "failure" of the much-touted prohibition law.

"Do not talk like an idiot. I am sitting here at my residence. If I do something wrong inside my house, will the police station concerned get to know about it beforehand?" Sada asked.

State Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh lashed out at the government, saying, "Why only CCA? Let them hang the culprits. Let them not spare anybody, even if the suspects happen to be connected with any opposition party."

"But it is high time that the government reviewed its prohibition policy which has failed to check the sale of spurious liquor, even as its draconian provisions tend to treat hapless family members of the victims as criminals and deprive them of a much-needed compensation from the government," he added.

The Rajya Sabha MP also said the party has set up a seven-member fact-finding team which would visit the affected localities and submit its report to the Congress leadership.

CPI(ML) MLA Satyadeo Ram, who represents Darauli seat of Siwan, toured the affected areas and alleged, "The administration seems intent on brushing the entire thing under the carpet. Residents of at least 60 villages have consumed liquor. This could not have happened on such a large scale unless those involved in the illicit trade were being patronised by the local administration."

Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav came out with an angry statement saying, "Hooch deaths have become a routine in Bihar but never ever has a high-ranking official faced the music for the lapse. If spurious liquor is available despite prohibition, it is also a failure on part of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who has held on to the home portfolio all through his tenure."

Meanwhile, the chief minister chaired a high-level meeting to review the situation where he instructed officials concerned to visit the site and ensure strongest possible action against those found guilty.

Kumar, who is the state's longest-serving CM, also made an impassioned appeal to the people of the state to "be on guard against elements who are trying to encourage consumption of liquor which plays havoc with people's lives and disrupts peace in families".

Notably, the state government had confirmed more than 150 deaths on account of hooch since the ban on liquor came into force.

In 2022, Saran's Mashrakh reported the worst such tragedy in which, as per the state government about 40 people had died though the National Human Rights Commission, which took suo motu cognisance and carried out an investigation, claimed that the casualties were in excess of 70.