Suspected spurious hooch leaves 7 dead in dry Bihar, probe ordered

Bettiah: Seven people died allegedly after drinking spurious liquor in dry Bihar's West Champaran district, prompting the administration to order an inquiry, a police officer said on Sunday.

The police came to know about the deaths on Sunday, though the first fatality occurred four days ago and the bodies of all seven were already cremated, the officer said.

District Superintendent of Police Shaurya Suman said all the deaths were reported from the Lauriya police station area.

Locals blamed the deaths on consumption of spurious liquor, but the SP asserted that the reason behind at last two fatalities was not hooch.

One had been hit by a tractor, while another had suffered a paralytic attack, Suman said.

“The first death took place on January 15 though we came to know about the episode only today. The cause of the remaining five deaths was unclear as all seven bodies were cremated before the police were informed. We have set up an investigation team to find out the cause of the deaths,” Suman told PTI.

West Champaran’s Deputy Development Commissioner (DDC), Sumit Kumar said it is difficult to ascertain the cause of the deaths as all the bodies were cremated.

"The investigation team was directed to submit its report within 24 hours,” Kumar told PTI.

The team will also ascertain the identity of those who died in the last three or four days in Lauriya, he added.

A family member of one of the deceased said, “My brother Pradeep consumed liquor with his friend Manish. Both died”.

The sale and consumption of alcohol was banned in Bihar by the Nitish Kumar government in April 2016.