Guwahati: Yet another suspected hooch disaster has surfaced in dry Bihar, leaving at least seven people dead and 15 others sick, some of whom are also losing their vision.
According to reports, all cases have come from communities within the Maker police station’s jurisdiction.
“Prima facie, it appears that the villagers had consumed spurious liquor. Five people died here while two deaths occurred at Patna Medical College and Hospital where those who have fallen seriously ill were referred on Thursday, said Rajesh Meena, the District Magistrate of Saran.
More than 10 people who are critically ill have lost their vision, he claimed.
Meanwhile, we are conducting raids in the Maker, Marhaura, and Bheldi police station areas to apprehend the accused bootleggers, said Saran SP Santosh Kumar. After the operation is over, we will be able to announce the number of arrests.
Although some turned to booze to get high, locals noted that consumption of intoxicants like cannabis has been a ritual for the holiday of Nag Panchami, which occurred earlier this week.
Over 50 people have perished in hooch-related catastrophes in the state since November of last year.
In January of this year, Saran recorded five deaths related to booze. In the state capital last month, two people died after ingesting fake alcohol.
The Nitish Kumar administration totally outlawed the sale and consumption of alcohol in Bihar in April 2016 following a campaign promise the chief minister had made to the ladies of the state ahead of the assembly elections that were held the year before.