Fatalities due to India toxic alcohol

[shaaik]

At least 39 people have died after drinking alcohol tainted with methanol at a funeral in India.

A further 27 have fallen sick after consuming the illicit drink in a few villages in the north of the country.

Police officer Ashok Kumar said two separate incidents in the state of Uttar Pradesh left 26 dead, and another 13 died in the neighbouring state of Uttarakhand.

Eight suspected bootleggers have been held by police while 35 officials - including 12 police officers - have been suspended by the provincial governments.

Saharanpur police officer Dinesh Kumar said: "We are trying to find out if anyone else has consumed the (spurious) liquor. Has it been kept in any homes?

"We are investigating. And we are trying to get them the best possible treatment."

The alcohol was first drunk at a funeral in Uttarakhand, according to NDTV, before people from Saharanpur, in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, brought it home and sold it on to others.

https://news.sky.com/story/dozens-d...f-twitter&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral

 

[MenInG]

Seems to be an issue as people look for cheaper alcohol.

 

[PakLFC]

India is the master of such cheap products. People are so desperate for "daru" there as they call it that anything intoxicating and cheap will sell. It is not as if anyone will check when ingredients are contained in such drinks.

 

[Itachi]

India is the master of such cheap products. People are so desperate for "daru" there as they call it that anything intoxicating and cheap will sell. It is not as if anyone will check when ingredients are contained in such drinks.

Sad but true.

 

[Syed1]

Wait why did they have to bootleg it, isn't alcohol easily available in India

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

India is the master of such cheap products. People are so desperate for "daru" there as they call it that anything intoxicating and cheap will sell. It is not as if anyone will check when ingredients are contained in such drinks.

These are the standards that will always separate the first world countries from the rest.

 

[Itachi]

These are the standards that will always separate the first world countries from the rest.

I've seen the same in European countries. Can't say it can be marked as standard.

 

[Itachi]

Wait why did they have to bootleg it, isn't alcohol easily available in India

Not in every place.

In some area, it is strictly prohibited.

 

[TM Riddle]

Not in every place.

In some area, it is strictly prohibited.

It's easily available in UP and Uttarakhand where these incidents took place.

 

[cricketjoshila]

These are the standards that will always separate the first world countries from the rest.

Did you miss out the word Bootleg?

 

[MP2011]

This news is not a surprise in the least, coming from India's no.1 state!!

Bisht actually gave full page ads in Indian newspapers about UP being no.1 Indian state! lol, BJP and its big mouth liars!

 

[MP2011]

Instead of spending his time in governing UP instead of taking part in religious functions and stoking communal tensions all across India, Bisht says this hooch tragedy is handiwork of SP. Well, he is right, communal party could never be wrong.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Instead of spending his time in governing UP instead of taking part in religious functions and stoking communal tensions all across India, Bisht says this hooch tragedy is handiwork of SP. Well, he is right, communal party could never be wrong.

People didnot have issues when SP celebrated EID or when Mulayam had Saifai mahotsav with bollywood stars every year.

But a hindu guy celebrates his festival and you have issues.

 

[MP2011]

lol, spoken like a true sanghi! Who said what SP did during their rein was right? Is this the best defense you could come up with to defend 2nd most communal guy in India?

 

[MP2011]

lol, I see you've conveniently skirted the main issue like all Sanghis do.

I repeat who'll take onus of why this tragedy happened? Who'll be held answerable for all those 100-odd children deaths under Bisht in his own fiefdom of Gorakhpur? Mulayam or Rahul or Sonia?

 

[cricketjoshila]

lol, spoken like a true sanghi! Who said what SP did during their rein was right? Is this the best defense you could come up with to defend 2nd most communal guy in India?

Calling me names wont help you.

Well everyone is free to celebrate any festival. Thats the point.

 

[cricketjoshila]

lol, I see you've conveniently skirted the main issue like all Sanghis do.

I repeat who'll take onus of why this tragedy happened? Who'll be held answerable for all those 100-odd children deaths under Bisht in his own fiefdom of Gorakhpur? Mulayam or Rahul or Sonia?

Do you know that Japanese B encephalitis is endemic in eastern UP? Thats one of the chapters in Preventive and Social medicine in any medical college in India. Children have died in eastern UP due to JBE for decades. Its not something that happened during Yogi's rule for the first time.

Though Yogi should try and have a better vaccination and survelliance programme for JBE.

 

[MP2011]

Considering Bisht (and his mentor, Mahant Avaidyanath) have been ruling Gorakhpur de facto for last several decades as their personal fiefdom, should count for something, no?

Or was he a MP of Gorakhpur for 5 consecutive terms just in the name and to enjoy the perks of power while in reality he was just head priest of Gorakhnath math all this while?

Just saying that this disease is endemic won't wash Bisht's sins....

 

[cricketjoshila]

Considering Bisht (and his mentor, Mahant Avaidyanath) have been ruling Gorakhpur de facto for last several decades as their personal fiefdom, should count for something, no?

Or was he a MP of Gorakhpur for 5 consecutive terms just in the name and to enjoy the perks of power while in reality he was just head priest of Gorakhnath math all this while?

Just saying that this disease is endemic won't wash Bisht's sins....

Again you have no idea.

Vaccination and Survelliance programme are run by the govt not by the local MP. Local MP if he is from opposition cant go and demand anything from a state run programne or health institution.

The programme is run by state health ministry to district hospitals then to CHCs then PHCs. None of this is controlled by the local MP.

 

[MP2011]

lol, and you seem to have any idea? Just to reprieve Bisht and his cronies under the influence of BJP's blind bhakti, you're letting him go scot free from this grievous tragedy!

lol, did you say vaccination programs are run by local govt? So where was this local govt when these kids died due to lack of oxygen supply?

Bhakts like you point fingers at Manmohan for not doing enough to prevent scams from happening under him? In this case does Bisht have any accountability? If he doesn't, what is he doing being head of state he is governing?

 

[cricketjoshila]

lol, and you seem to have any idea? Just to reprieve Bisht and his cronies under the influence of BJP's blind bhakti, you're letting him go scot free from this grievous tragedy!

lol, did you say vaccination programs are run by local govt? So where was this local govt when these kids died due to lack of oxygen supply?

Bhakts like you point fingers at Manmohan for not doing enough to prevent scams from happening under him? In this case does Bisht have any accountability? If he doesn't, what is he doing being head of state he is governing?

As someone who has worked in the health sector i do have some idea how it works.

You need to look up yearly deaths due to JBE in eastern UP deaths have been happening every year.

Why do you think the CMO and others were arrested in BRD medical college?

 

[MP2011]

Why do you think the CMO and others were arrested in BRD medical college?

To save higher ups?

 

[cricketjoshila]

To save higher ups?

CMO is the highest authority in the district for a medical college. Or you think the health secretary the health minister or the CM takes stock of availibilities of different things in a district medical college.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Did you miss out the word Bootleg?

Bootleg alcohol used to be a thing in the west a century ago, you won't find it much of an issue here these days.

 

[MP2011]

CMO is the highest authority in the district for a medical college. Or you think the health secretary the health minister or the CM takes stock of availibilities of different things in a district medical college.

I know who CMO is. That way a CM isn't accountable for anything happening in his state. However, Manmohan was responsible for everything happening in India during his tenure.

 

[MP2011]

Funnily enough, one won't hear these excuses for non BJP Govts.

 

[cricketjoshila]

I know who CMO is. That way a CM isn't accountable for anything happening in his state. However, Manmohan was responsible for everything happening in India during his tenure.

In case of MMS the coal scam happened when he himself was Coal minister. 2G scam was carried out by his cabinet minister.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Bootleg alcohol used to be a thing in the west a century ago, you won't find it much of an issue here these days.

Since its bootleg, its illegal and hence no question of any standards or control as you said.

 

[MenInG]

Since its bootleg, its illegal and hence no question of any standards or control as you said.

In Pakistan the guy who used to paint our house used to sniff/drink paint thinner.... ultimate bootleg!

 

[MenInG]

At least 84 people have died from drinking toxic bootleg liquor in the north-east Indian state of Assam, and about 200 others have been hospitalised, a government minister said on Saturday.

The deaths come less than two weeks after more than 100 people died from drinking tainted alcohol in northern India.

Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: “Every 10 minutes we are getting reports of casualties from different places. So far about 200 people are in hospital with many of them critical.”

Doctors from nearby districts and other medical colleges have been rushed in to deal with the crisis, said Sarma, after visiting patients at Jorhat, about 300km (190 miles) east of the state’s financial hub, Guwahati.

Deaths from illegally produced alcohol, known locally as hooch or country liquor, are common in India, where many cannot afford branded spirits.

The death tolls from the two recent incidents, however, are believed to be the deadliest since a similar case killed 172 in West Bengal in 2011.

Dilip Rajbnonshi, a doctor at the government hospital in Golaghat, located 40km southwest of Jorhat said the deaths were due to “spurious country liquor”.

A number of women are also among the casualties. Many of those who drank the liquor were tea plantation workers who had just received their weekly wages, another government official said.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...-kills-dozens-tea-plantation-workers-in-india

 

[Adijazz1706]

That's 200 people dead from drinking tainted alcohol, where is this coming from all of a sudden?

 

[nextover666666]

Toxic moonshine kills 154 people, leaves hundreds hospitalized in India

At least 154 people have died and more than 200 others have been hospitalized after consuming tainted alcohol in India, officials said.

The victims consumed unregulated moonshine, known locally as "country-made liquor" in the northeast state of Assam.

Police raised the death toll from 133 on Monday.

Thirty four people have been arrested for their suspected involvement in the supply of the illegal alcohol. Police said they are questioning others associated with bootlegging in the area.

"It is illicit liquor that was brewed locally. We are still investigating what was the composition and what was mixed in the alcohol," said Mukesh Agarwal a senior police official in Golaghat district in northeastern Assam state.

Police suspect those who drank the liquor contracted "methyl alcohol poisoning" from "methanol that was added to the mixture," he added.

The first cases, reported Thursday evening, indicated most victims were tea garden workers, said Manoj Baruah, an official in Jorhat, the other district where cases were reported.

"It is a case of alcohol poisoning, and it has affected a few tea gardens and villages surrounding them in this district," said Partha Pratim Saikia, a senior police official in Assam.


Illicit booze is cheaper but can kill
The incident is the latest in India's long battle to control fake or illegal alcohol, which is affordable and readily available to many impoverished people.

Eighty people died in February in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand states after drinking illegal homemade brew. Eight people were arrested as part of a police investigation into that poisoning, and about 400 liters (105 gallons) of illicit booze was seized.

More than 100 people died from drinking illegal moonshine in 2015 in a Mumbai slum, while the deadliest incident was in 2011, when a batch of country-made liquor killed at least 168 people in the state of West Bengal.

Homemade alcohol is typically brewed in villages before being smuggled into cities, where it sells for about 10 cents a glass -- about a third the price of legally brewed liquor.

Illegal liquor can be deadly "when other liquids like rubbing alcohol or methanol are added to the distilled spirit," enabling sellers to increase the amount of liquid and its potential potency, according to SafeProof, a group that lobbies against counterfeit alcohol.

Country-made liquor often contains toxic methanol, which can make people feel inebriated. However, even a very small amount can be toxic. Methanol poisoning can cause confusion, dizziness, drowsiness, headaches and the inability to coordinate muscle movements.

Link : https://www.localnews8.com/news/nat...ves-hundreds-hospitalized-in-india/1037559542

 

[MenInG]

At least 86 people have died in recent days as a result of drinking illegally-made alcohol, officials in the northern Indian state of Punjab say.

On Saturday, police carried out more than 100 raids, confiscating supplies of the suspected liquor and making 25 arrests.

The number of dead has steadily risen in the last few days.

Hundreds of people die in India each year after drinking bootleg alcohol from backstreet distilleries.

On Friday, Punjab's Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered an inquiry into the deaths.

Reports suggest the illegal liquor may have been produced in bulk, sold to roadside cafe owners and then distributed to local communities.

The case follows reports on Friday of the deaths of 10 people - said to have alcohol addictions - who drank hand sanitiser in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Deaths from illegally produced alcohol, which is much cheaper than branded spirits, are common in parts of rural India.

Bootleggers often add methanol - a highly toxic form of alcohol sometimes used as an anti-freeze - to their mixture to increase its strength.

If ingested in even small quantities, methanol can cause blindness, liver damage and death.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-53624507

 

[Slog]

this seems to be a recurring problem in India it seems

i dont get it. is it happening in dry states with no access to alcohol illegally?

 

[Itachi]

this seems to be a recurring problem in India it seems

i dont get it. is it happening in dry states with no access to alcohol illegally?

It happens most in dry states but not uncommon in other parts.

Most of these people don't get the "kick" in regular alcohol even if they are provided (too mild for them). But they failed to realize what these cheap brands or home made are doing to their body. Even if they won't die today, their body will be giving up on 2-3 years.

But then again, they are so addicted that they rarely cares about it.

 

[Slog]

It happens most in dry states but not uncommon in other parts.

Most of these people don't get the "kick" in regular alcohol even if they are provided (too mild for them). But they failed to realize what these cheap brands or home made are doing to their body. Even if they won't die today, their body will be giving up on 2-3 years.

But then again, they are so addicted that they rarely cares about it.

in the US in the 1920s or so alcohol got banned so a lot of moonshine started appearing as well as speakeasy underground establishments. I wonder is same thing happened there

Tbh it happens on smaller scale even in Pakistan. you hear from time to time esp in villages surprisingly where you would expect people to be more coservative or religious and less likely to be drinking.

 

[Itachi]

in the US in the 1920s or so alcohol got banned so a lot of moonshine started appearing as well as speakeasy underground establishments. I wonder is same thing happened there

Tbh it happens on smaller scale even in Pakistan. you hear from time to time esp in villages surprisingly where you would expect people to be more coservative or religious and less likely to be drinking.

Depression will be the main cause.... It starts with depression, then becomes a habit which turns into addiction.

Its never a justified excuse but while people try to run away from problems in their lives, they create these kind of unhealthy scenario.

While I was in Ukraine, I saw even worse. The young generation (a big share) is addicted to various substance abuses. Most of them are from broken homes with history of domestic abuses. They rarely can come out from this loop and change their fate. Various cheap but dangerous drugs are resurfacing and future looks very grim.

 

[gani999]

Not in every place.

In some area, it is strictly prohibited.

That is completely untrue. You can get any type of alcohol you want anywhere in India. Even states like Gujarat which is allegedly 'dry' are awash with liquor.

India probably consumes more booze than any other country on earth.

That said, there is plenty of demand for cheap liquor in India. Some dimwits try to mix cheaper industrial methanol into country liquor and end up poisoning people.

 

[PakLFC]

These are the standards that will always separate the first world countries from the rest.

India the superpower wannabe sells third rate booze then wonders why no one takes it seriously. It is worse then a third world country for goodness sake.

 

[Itachi]

That is completely untrue. You can get any type of alcohol you want anywhere in India. Even states like Gujarat which is allegedly 'dry' are awash with liquor.

India probably consumes more booze than any other country on earth.

That said, there is plenty of demand for cheap liquor in India. Some dimwits try to mix cheaper industrial methanol into country liquor and end up poisoning people.

The context was "legally". Ofcourse you can get anything you want if you know the network

 

[MenInG]

Indian police say they have arrested more than two dozen people on suspicion of selling tainted alcohol that has killed at least 86 people in recent days in the northern state of Punjab.

Six police officers and seven other officials have also been suspended for failure to prevent the sale of tainted liquor as a magistrate began an investigation into the deaths in three districts.

An official told AFP news agency that 11 people had died in Gurdaspur district. The Press Trust of India added that 12 people were killed in the neighbouring district of Amritsar and 63 in Tarn Taran.

Punjab state's Police Chief Dinkar Gupta said the 25 suspects arrested over the incident supplied the tainted alcohol to roadside eateries from where it was sold to travellers and villagers.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said he had ordered a special inquiry into the deaths and "anyone found guilty will not be spared".

A government statement said the deaths were due to "spurious" liquor and a crackdown on illegal alcohol manufacturing in the state was ordered.

The incident came after authorities in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh said on Friday that nine people had died after drinking alcohol-based sanitiser.

The victims drank the sanitiser as a substitute for alcohol, which has been restricted during a coronavirus lockdown in India.

Deaths from illegally brewed alcohol are common in India, where the poor cannot afford licensed brands from government-run shops.

Illicit liquor, made in backstreet distilleries and sold for as little as 10 rupees (13 US cents) a litre, is often spiked with methanol to increase potency.

In 2019, at least 133 people died after drinking tainted liquor in two separate incidents in India's northeast Assam state. The victims were mostly tea plantation workers.

That same year, another 80 people died from tainted liquor in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, about 1,000 people die in India every year because of these substances.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/arrests-india-tainted-alcohol-kills-80-200802055646561.html

 

[gani999]

The context was "legally". Ofcourse you can get anything you want if you know the network

The only states that prohibit liquor sale in India are Bihar, Gujarat, Mizoram, Nagaland and the Lakshadweep. That's a very few places where one needs to go the illegal route.

And I know that Nagaland permits the traditional Khasi liquor, which is supposed to be super strong. Never tasted it though.

 

[MenInG]

The death toll from poisoning linked to toxic liquor in India's northern state of Punjab rose to 105 on Monday, as police carried out a crackdown on the illicit alcohol trade in the state following the worst bootleg alcohol incident this year.

The toll soared from 21 on Friday after families reported deaths to administration officials over the Saturday to Sunday weekend. The first deaths were reported last Wednesday, and the number has continued to rise as poor farmers and workers fell ill after drinking the alcohol across three districts.

Eighty people died in the Tarn Taran district over the past five days, senior official Kulwant Singh told DPA news agency, while state police confirmed 25 deaths in nearby Amritsar and Batala.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh earlier said he had ordered a special inquiry into the deaths and "anyone found guilty will not be spared".

Officials suspended

The state government has suspended seven excise officials and six police officials even as opposition parties accused governing party leaders of "patronising [the] spurious liquor trade."

In a crackdown, police conducted dozens of raids across villages - in which 30 bootleggers were arrested - and smashed illegal distilleries, seizing thousands of litres of tainted liquor.

India tainted alcohol
The state government has suspended seven excise officials and six police officials [Narinder Nanu/AFP]

Initial investigations revealed the liquor contained methanol, which can cause blindness and death when consumed in large amounts.

Deaths from illegally brewed alcohol, known locally as "hooch" or "country liquor", are common in India, where the poor cannot afford licensed brands from government-run shops.

An average of 1,000 people die in India each year after consuming illegally distilled alcohol, government data shows. The liquor is usually made with poor-quality ingredients and sometimes mixed with industrial alcohol and toxic substances.

A total of 151 people, mostly tea-plantation workers, died after drinking toxic alcohol last year in one of the worst cases of liquor poisoning in India in recent years.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...sses-100-dozens-arrested-200803103824004.html

 

[ex-q-zit]

65 Dead Due To Toxic Liquor In Bihar, Worst Tragedy Since Prohibition

65 people have now been confirmed dead in Chapra, in Bihar's Saran district, due to the consumption of toxic liquor, news agency ANI reported. The tragedy, the biggest since Bihar went dry more than six years ago, is the latest in a long list of such deaths in Bihar ever since Chief Minister Nitish Kumar imposed prohibition in 2016.

The JDU-RJD government is facing loud protests by the opposition BJP in the Assembly and outside over alleged laxity in implementing prohibition.

Nitish Kumar today in Assembly reiterated his stand that there would be no compensation who died after drinking illegal alcohol. The number of people drinking toxic liquor in Bihar, both before and after prohibition, is low, he claimed, adding that in other places where there is no prohibition, people are still dying after drinking toxic liquor.

"Madhya Pradesh is on top. Where is this not happening -- Haryana, Uttar Pradesh. Go anywhere and it's the same story. When they died of toxic liquor, we are saying you'll die if you drink that. Why don't you publish when they die in the same in other places? I will reiterate everywhere, if someone is speaking in favour of alcohol, it'll never be to your benefit," an animated Mr Kumar said.

He then trained his guns towards the BJP, implying that the media disproportionately covers such tragedies in opposition-ruled states.

"In the state where the bridge collapsed, just one news was published and then nothing. When the same happened in Bengal, it ran for so long. We will popularise it more, that you'll die if you drink alcohol. Those who died after drinking, we will give them compensation? It's not going to happen," he added.

Mr Kumar had yesterday as well refused to give compensation to the families of those killed, and said people should be "more vigilant" when the state anyway has prohibition.

"Jo sharaab peeyega, wo toh marega hi na... Udaharan saamne hai - peeyoge toh maroge. (Those who drink liquor will obviously die. We have an example in this case)," Mr Kumar said in Hindi in response to a question in Patna, referring to demands of compensation in earlier cases.

He had even furiously screamed "sharabi ho tum (you are a drunk)" at the opposition BJP on December 14 as he faced protests in the Assembly.

The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the Bihar government and the state's police chief.

The sale and consumption of alcohol was completely banned in Bihar in April 2016, though its "implementation has been patchy," the NHRC observed in a statement.

In August, in a case in the same district, five people died after drinking toxic liquor. The police are reportedly looking for more who have been taken sick; they may have gone into hiding to avoid interrogation as liquor is banned in Bihar.

NDTV

 

[ex-q-zit]

Request In Supreme Court Seeks Special Probe In Bihar Liquor Tragedy

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) into a recent liquor tragedy in Bihar, in which 28 people have lost their lives.

The plea was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha.

The bench told advocate Pawan Prakash Pathak, who mentioned the matter, that the petitioner has to go through the proper process for the listing of the case.

Friday is the last working day for the top court before it goes on a two-week winter break. The apex court will reopen on January 2.

The Bihar liquor tragedy toll has climbed to 28 with two more deaths reported, a top Saran district official said.

"The suspected hooch death toll has increased to 28 (till Thursday night) in the district," Saran District Magistrate (DM) Rajesh Meena told PTI.

The DM said action has also been initiated against the officials concerned.

Sale and consumption of alcohol were completely banned in Bihar by the Nitish Kumar government in April 2016.

Meanwhile, opposition BJP in Bihar accused the state government on Friday of suppressing the total number of fatalities in the hooch tragedy.

NDTV

 

[SalimBhai]

It's a dry state. So people make their own. which can be dangerous

 

[ex-q-zit]

126 Traders Involved In Bihar Toxic Liquor Trade Arrested As Deaths Rise

The Bihar liquor tragedy toll climbed to 28 with two more deaths reported, a top Saran district official said, however unconfirmed reports claimed up to 50 died by drinking the illicitly brewed liquor.

Saran District Magistrate Rajesh Meena told PTI, "The suspected toxic liquor death has increased to 28 (till Thursday night) in the district".

The DM said that action raids across the district have been conducted and 126 traders involved in selling locally brewed country liquor have been caught.

"We have also conducted intensive raids across the district in the last 48 hours and nabbed 126 traders. More than 4,000 litres of illicit liquor have also been seized," he told reporters on Thursday.

Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar, had declined to divulge whether the arrested persons included those directly involved in the latest hooch case, saying that "the matter is still under investigation and disclosing much at this stage could hamper the probe".

"For speedy investigation, an SIT consisting of 31 police officials, headed by an additional SP and including three deputy SPs, has also been set up", the district magistrate had said.

Meanwhile, the opposition BJP on Friday alleged that the government is hiding the total number of deaths in the hooch tragedy.

Talking to PTI, Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, Vijay Kumar Sinha on Friday said, "Spurious liquor sale has been flourishing in Bihar under the protection of police officers and state administration despite prohibition in place. But the chief minister is silent and he does not take any action against the accused."

"The Saran incident is a mass murder by the government and the state administration is responsible for it. We (BJP MLAs) visited the affected areas in Saran on Thursday, the number of deaths is much higher than the figure that is being provided by the district administration. We will again raise this issue in the Assembly on Friday," Sinha said.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday warned that if people drink spurious liquor, they will die.

The chief minister's blunt comments came as his policy of prohibition came under attack from many quarters including from his former political strategist turned activist Prashant Kishor, who demanded scrapping of the prohibition law.

"Jo piyega woh marega" (those who drink spurious alcohol will die), thundered Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as he stood his ground maintaining that prohibition was "not my personal wish but a response to the cries of the women of the state".

Kumar when he brought in prohibition had won praise from many women's groups who felt it would save their men-folk from the "curse of drunkenness and save homes from financial ruin."

NDTV

 

[ex-q-zit]

National Human Rights Commission Team Reaches Bihar To Probe Liquor Tragedy

A team of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday arrived in Bihar's Patna to probe the hooch tragedy here.

The NHRC team is comprised of nine members who will investigate the tragic incident reported last week from Bihar's Saran district in which over 60 people were killed due to consuming spurious liquor at a local joint. After the deaths, angry villagers blocked the Masrakh Hanuman Chowk on Bihar State Highway 90 and raised slogans against the district administration.

The incident also triggered a political slugfest in the Bihar assembly, with opposition leaders mounting a strong attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the spate of spurious liquor deaths.

NDTV