Bihar hooch tragedy: Death toll rises to 37

Patna: Two more persons died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor, raising the toll in the hooch tragedy in the dry Bihar to 37, an official said on Saturday. The latest victims were from Baikunthpur in Gopalganj district, which borders Siwan and Saran, he told PTI.

"As far as the death toll of Siwan and Saran is concerned, it's 35. It has not increased further. Now the total toll in all three districts under Saran range is 37," Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Nilesh Kumar told PTI.

Twenty-eight people died in Maghar and Auriya panchayats in the Siwan district, while seven people died in Ibrahimpur in the Mashrakh police station area of Saran district after allegedly consuming spurious liquor.

Over 25 people from the two districts are still battling for their lives at different hospitals in Siwan, Saran and Patna districts, officials said. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination, and the exact cause for the deaths can only be known after receiving the reports, the DIG said.

Following the incident, the opposition RJD questioned the efficacy of the ban on the sale and consumption of liquor, imposed by the Nitish Kumar government in 2016.

"Liquor ban is the biggest corruption of Nitish Kumar-led government in Bihar. In Bihar, a parallel economy of about Rs 30,000 crore is being run in the form of illegal business in the name of liquor (ban), the direct benefit of which is going to the JD(U) party and its leaders," leader of the opposition Tejashwi Yadav alleged.

"The CM took every measure to ensure that the consumption of liquor increases in dry Bihar. According to the report of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), despite prohibition in Bihar, more people drink alcohol in Bihar than in Maharashtra. Currently, 15.5 per cent of people consume alcohol in Bihar. In comparison, in Maharashtra, where there is no prohibition, the percentage of people drinking alcohol is just 13.9 per cent," he said in a post on X.

Yadav said more than 400 people are arrested in alcohol-related cases every day in the state, and about 6,600 raids are conducted daily. "This means, on average, 275 raids are conducted every hour. This means that Bihar Police and the prohibition department conduct raids at about 2 lakh places every month and 24 lakh places every year, but even after this, the illegal liquor business continues unabated," he said.