Bihar hooch tragedy: 25 dead, 12 arrested; ₹4L ex-gratia announced
A total of 25 people have died in Bihar's Saran and Siwan districts after consuming spurious liquor, reportedly an industrial spirit. The Bihar Police have arrested 12 people linked to this incident—nine from Siwan and three from Saran. Director General of Police, Alok Raj, confirmed the death toll and assured that investigations are underway to dismantle the network involved in distributing the illicit liquor.
Special Investigation Team formed, police personnel suspended
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the case further. In Saran district, where five deaths were reported, Superintendent of Police Kumar Ashish said several raids have resulted in the seizure of 1,650-liter of alcohol. A local beat constable has been suspended in connection with the incident and other police personnel are being probed for possible involvement in the tragedy.
Ex-gratia announced for victims' families
Saran District Magistrate Aman Samir announced an ex-gratia of ₹4 lakh to each victim's family, if they support the state's liquor ban and postmortem reports confirm death due to illicit liquor. The tragedy has also sparked political reactions with Jan Suraj Party chief Prashant Kishore slamming the liquor ban's enforcement. Opposition party Rashtriya Janata Dal asked how liquor remains available despite prohibition and sought higher compensation for victims' families.
CM orders investigation, locals protest police complicity
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident. Locals have staged protests against alleged police complicity in the illegal liquor trade, criticizing the administration for not effectively enforcing prohibition laws. This isn't an isolated incident in Bihar; over 150 people have died from consuming illicit liquor since prohibition was enacted in April 2016. In 2022 alone, a hooch tragedy in Saran claimed at least 73 lives.
