More Hooch Deaths In Bihar As 3 Dead, Several Ill After Consuming Spurious Liquor In Siwan, 10 Arrested

At least three persons have died after consuming spurious liquor in Bihar's Siwan while several ae undergoing treatment in hospital, said officials.

New Delhi:  A total of 3 people have died after allegedly drinking spurious liquor in Bihar's Siwan while seven are undergoing treatment, informed Siwan DM Amit Kumar Pandey, quoted ANI.

The DM said that ten people have been arrested in the case so far and that the cause of death will be known only after an autopsy. 

According to the news agency ANI, the incident occurred in the Lakari Nabiganj area of Siwan in Bihar. Sub-Divisional Public Grievance Officer in Siwan, Abhishek Chandan said that one of the deceased persons died after consuming spurious liquor while the other one was declared brought dead in the Siwan hospital, the ANI report added. 

"One person was brought dead and five others are currently being treated at Siwan Hospital. The cause of the death is yet to be ascertained which will be cleared after the reports of post-mortem," he said. 

The deceased are Janak Bean alias Janak Prasad and Naresh Bean of the Bala village in Siwan's Nabiganj. As per the information, the two complained of stomach pain in the night and their vision was also impacted, following which their relatives then took them to the Siwan Sadar Hospital where the doctors declared them 'brought dead'. 

"At least two persons were declared dead after they were sent to Siwan Sadar Hospital as they had consumed this spurious liquor. Around dozens of people are still unwell and the police have set up camps in the village," the District Councillor of the village, Ramesh Kumar told ANI. 

The incident occurred after the Bihar Police recovered illicit liquor bottles hidden in a gutter in Danapur on December 21, 2022. 

Notably, the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government has put a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol in the state. The ban has been in place since April 2016. 

Previously, over 60 people died in Bihar’s Saran and Chhapra districts in December after consuming spurious liquor, making it the biggest hooch tragedy in the state since it went dry in April 2016. The BJP, however, claimed that over 100 deaths have occurred due to spurious country liquor.  

The incident also triggered a political slugfest in the Bihar assembly, with opposition leaders mounting a strong attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the repeated incidents of spurious liquor deaths.