Bihar: Seven People Die After Consuming Spurious Liquor In Nalanda, Police Launch Combing Operation

According to Nalanda District Magistrate Shashank Shubhankar, a "combing operation" has begun in the region surrounding the Chhoti Pahari village.

Representational Image. (Source: Getty Images)

New Delhi: At least seven people died in Bihar's Nalanda district after reportedly ingesting tainted liquor, prompting authorities to launch an investigation, officials said on Saturday.

According to Nalanda District Magistrate Shashank Shubhankar, a "combing operation" has begun in the region surrounding the Chhoti Pahari village.

Shubhankar stated that he and district Superintendent of Police Ashok Mishra will lead the combing operation to determine whether or not any liquor production operations are operating in the area.

On Saturday, Shubhankar and Mishra both went to Chhoti Pahari.

"We have taken the statement of the victims' family members. Two of them have claimed that they were having other diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure etc. One of the victims' families claimed that the deceased individual often consumed liquor," Shubhankar was quoted by IANS in its report.

"We have sent the bodies for post-mortem to ascertain the cause of the death," Shubhankar further said.

Meanwhile, family relatives of the deceased alleged that the fatalities were caused by the intake of "poisonous liquor."

In response to the fatalities, Prem Ranjan Patel, the BJP Bihar unit's spokesperson, stated, "We have a long-standing demand to review the decision of liquor ban in the state. Liquor is not banned in Bihar. It is available everywhere as the liquor mafias are involved in this... and are supported by the officials in the police and excise department. They are responsible for the failure of the liquor ban in Bihar."

"The police and excise department only arrest poor people while the actual mafias are beyond the reach of enforcement agencies," he adds.

(With inputs from IANS)