The death toll from hooch incidents in Bihar’s Siwan and Saran districts has tragically risen to 26, according to officials on Thursday.
In Siwan, 20 individuals succumbed after consuming illicit liquor, while six deaths were reported in Saran under similar circumstances. Siwan’s Superintendent of Police, Amitesh Kumar, confirmed that the fatalities occurred in the Bhagwanpur, Madhar, and Koundia areas over the past three days.
The postmortems for the 20 victims were conducted at the government Sadar Hospital in Siwan. Relatives recounted that those who died had consumed the illicit liquor on Monday and Tuesday, experiencing severe symptoms such as stomach pain, vomiting, nausea, and loss of vision shortly after drinking. Health department officials noted that 23 individuals had died during treatment, and four others in critical condition were referred to Patna Medical College and Hospital for advanced care. The victims were primarily between the ages of 21 and 40.
In neighboring Saran district, six people died after drinking spurious liquor in villages within the Masarakh police station jurisdiction, with four fatalities reported from Ibrahimpur village alone. Saran Superintendent of Police Kumar Ashish stated that police had arrested nine individuals involved in the illicit liquor trade.
To address the situation, State Excise Commission official Krishna Kumar visited both Siwan and Saran districts, while Excise and Prohibition Minister Ratnesh Sada expressed his condolences for the victims. The Saran district magistrate announced the formation of a special investigation team to determine the cause of the deaths, stating, “We are awaiting postmortem and viscera reports.”
Reports indicate that over 49 people remain hospitalized across the two districts. The issue of hooch has been persistent; in 2022, 73 individuals died in the Masarakh area of Saran district due to similar circumstances, though officials acknowledged only 48 fatalities from that incident. Since the prohibition was enacted in April 2016, more than 350 people have lost their lives in Bihar due to illicit liquor.
In response to these tragedies, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has launched a scathing critique of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, questioning how spurious liquor continues to circulate in a state with a liquor ban. The RJD held the NDA government accountable for the deaths, claiming that liquor mafias operate with the government’s protection. RJD spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwari lamented, “It is heartbreaking that despite the liquor ban law being enforced in Bihar, spurious liquor remains available. Every Holi and Diwali, we witness deaths due to this issue. The NDA government is directly responsible for this.”
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