The number of deaths due to the consumption of spurious liquor in Bihar’s Chhapra reached 67 on Friday. Saran District Magistrate Rajesh Meena said action raids across the district have been conducted and 126 traders involved in selling locally brewed country liquor have been caught.
“We have also conducted intensive raids across the district in the last 48 hours and nabbed 126 hooch traders. More than 4,000 litres of illicit liquor have also been seized,” he told reporters on Thursday.
Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar, had declined to divulge whether the arrested persons included those directly involved in the latest hooch case, saying that “the matter is still under investigation and disclosing much at this stage could hamper the probe”.
The hooch tragedy is the biggest since Bihar banned sale of alcohol more than six years ago. This is the latest in a long list of such deaths in Bihar ever since Chief Minister Nitish Kumar imposed the prohibition of liquor sale in April 2016.
In light of the controversy surrounding the hooch tragedy, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday rubbished reports doing rounds and said the number of deaths due to spurious liquor is lower in the state of Bihar.
During his address in the Bihar assembly on Friday, he also said that the compensation for deaths due to toxic liquor is “out of question”. “No compensation will be given to people who died after drinking…We have been appealing- if you drink, you will die…those who talk in favour of drinking will not bring any good to you…”, said Nitish Kumar.
Earlier on Wednesday, Bihar Minister SK Mahaseth urged the people of the state to give up drinking alcohol. While talking to the media persons Mahaseth said, “Best if you give up drinking. Poison and not liquor are coming here. If we build strength via sports, we might tolerate it but people will have to build that strength. Give it up! It’s prohibited & being wrongly pushed here,” said Mahaseth.
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