Seven die, 16 hospitalised in Bengal after consuming spurious liquor

Seven persons died and 16 others were hospitalised after consuming spurious liquor at Shantipur in West Bengal's Nadia district on Wednesday, state Finance Minister Amit Mitra said.

The state government ordered a CID inquiry into the incident and details on whether the victims consumed country liquor would be confirmed only after chemical examination, Mitra said in the assembly premises.

The government also suspended 11 excise officials - the present Shantipur officer-in-charge (excise), his immediate predecessor, the deputy excise collector of Ranaghat range and eight excise constables, he said.

"The government wants to send a strong message that no one who is responsible for the incident will be spared," he said.

He also announced Rs 2 lakh each as compensation to the kin of the dead in the incident.

The CID investigations would also reveal whether spurious liquor is being smuggled into rural Bengal from Bihar and Jharkhand, Mitra said.