A liquor shop worker (L) wearing gloves gives bottles of alcohol to a customer through the shutters of the shop after the government eased a nationwide lockdown
"The death toll in the hooch tragedy in Bihar climbed to 33 on Saturday. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has called on people to stop drinking illicit liquor. Bihar is a dry state, and this is not the first hooch tragedy in the region.
Locals of the Telhua village had consumed illegal liquor on the night preceding Diwali. District Magistrate Nawal Kishore Officials in the West Champaran and Gopalganj districts claimed only 25 confirmed deaths. Chaudhary in Gopalganj said that only 11 out of the 17 deaths in the region could be blamed on the consumption of spurious liquor.
Champaran Range DIG Pranav Kumar Pravin said that seven people are undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Bettiah. He added that two officials - Manish Sharma, the in-charge of Nautan Police Station, and a village chowkidar- have been placed under suspension for their laxity.
The hospital's superintendent Pramod Tiwari said many victims were brought dead and bodies are being handed over to families after post mortem examinations. One of the victims undergoing treatment, a 70-year-old man, lost his eyesight on Friday morning.
Superintendent of Police Anand Kumar said that raids have led to the recovery of 100 litres of illicit liquor. Three alleged sellers - Chhote Lal Sah, Jitendra Sah and Ram Pravesh Sah - have been arrested. One alleged seller died.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that those responsible for the deaths would be found. But he expressed dismay over people consuming the "wrong thing" during festivals. He told the media that an in-depth review of the enforcement of prohibition would be conducted in Bihar. "It appears that we need another extensive campaign to spread awareness about the ill-effects of drinking," he said.
Less than a month ago, close to 10 people had died in another similar incident in Muzaffarpur district.