Hooch Tragedy: 8 More Die in Dry Bihar; Death Toll Reaches 60

Patna: Deaths related to Chhapra spurious liquor tragedy are no more restricted to Saran district of Bihar. According to official sources, eight more persons succumbed allegedly after consuming some spurious liquor in two other districts.

Six spurious liquor-related deaths have been reported from Siwan district that borders Saran. Two other deaths occurred in Begusarai district.

Unofficial reports claim that at least 60 people died after drinking illicit country liquor brewed in Saran district. Bihar government has put the official death toll at 30, making this recent incident the biggest hooch tragedy since Bihar went dry in 2016.

Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly, Vijay Kumar Sinha, claimed inside the Assembly on Friday that the hooch tragedy has “claimed more than 100 lives”.

Siwan district administration has started an investigation regarding six liquor-related deaths in the district. In Begusarai, police officials told the media that two youths died after consuming “some poisonous chemical” in Teghra area on Friday.

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

The recent liquor tragedy in Bihar is the third of its kind in the past six months. In March, illicit liquor claimed 32 lives in Bihar. In August similar liquor tragedy had taken the lives of 11 persons in this so-called dry state.