Two die after consuming surgical spirit in Chhattisgarh

Two men died after allegedly consuming surgical spirit as a replacement for alcohol in Chhattisgarh's Raipur city on Wednesday, police said.

Liquor shops and bars are shut across the state till April 7, amid the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Ajay Kunjam (40), Asgar Hussain (42) and Dinesh Samudre (39) allegedly drank surgical spirit on Tuesday night in Golebazar police station area and their condition deteriorated soon after, a senior official said.

"While Hussain and Samudre died, Kunjam is in a critical condition," he said.

One of them died at his home in the early hours of Wednesday, while another succumbed during treatment at Dr B R Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, he said.

After being alerted about it, police personnel rushed to the spot and recovered a bottle of spirit from the house of one of the victims, the official said.

The bodies of the deceased have been sent for post- mortem, he said.

The victims might have bought surgical spirit from a pharmacy to drink it as a substitute for alcohol, which is not available anywhere in the state, he said.