NEW DELHI, Apr 15: In yet another incident of spurious liquor tragedies in Bihar, at least eight people died while another 25 persons have been hospitalised in Motihari on Saturday after consuming illicit liquor.
The tragedy, the latest in a series of such deaths since 2016 when the Bihar government banned alcohol in the state, has been reported from Lakshmipur, Paharpur, and Harsiddhi blocks of Motihari, around 150 kilometres northwest of the state capital Patna.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been in the crosshairs of the BJP for recurring deaths due to spurious liquor. The Opposition party recently clashed with Kumar after a report released by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on 40 deaths due to poisonous liquor in the Saran district of the state. The reports blamed the administration for the deaths.
Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav had alleged that the rights panel visit was propaganda by the BJP government at the Centre to defame the JD(U) – RJD state government.
Amid a political slugfest in the Bihar assembly after the Saran deaths, an irate Nitish Kumar had lost his cool and snapped at opposition MLAs who targeted the government over prohibition in the state. “If someone consumes liquor, they will die – the example is before us. This should be condoled, those places should be visited and people be explained,” Nitish Kumar had said.
“Even when there was no liquor ban here, people died due to spurious liquor – even in other states. People should be alert. As there is a liquor ban here, something spurious will be sold, due to which people die. Liquor is bad and shouldn’t be consumed,” he had said in the state assembly.
(Manas Dasgupta)