Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka see spike in deaths due to hooch between 2016-20

In India, the number of hooch tragedies has only gone up. According to a report in ABP live, India sees the death of 3 people every day due to the consumption of spurious liquor

The recent hooch tragedy in the state of Gujarat has caused a furore in the country. With political parties training their guns on the BJP-led central government, as many as 28 people have died so far after consuming spurious liquor, while 40 others have been hospitalised. But, this is not the first time that India has reported an incident of people dying after consuming spurious liquor. A similar case was reported from Bihar, wherein 32 people died since Holi due to spurious liquor. 

What is Hooch?
 

Hooch is a kind of liquor which is cheap, brewed in small unregulated shanties and does not attract excise tax. This inferior quality drink is usually made after mixing chemicals with water, which is then consumed by the people. It is more so commonly sold in states that have imposed a full ban on liquor in the state, thereby, making more people fall prey.

In India, the number of hooch tragedies has only gone up. According to a report in ABP live, India reports 3 people dying every day due to hooch. In 2016 august, a hooch tragedy occurred in Bihar, just months after Nitish Kumar's govt imposed a complete ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol. The incident claimed 19 lives and brought attention to the rise in the number of illegal liquor sales in the country.

Here is a list of the states which have imposed a complete ban on liquor in India:
 

1. Mizoram
2. Gujarat
3. Bihar
4. Nagaland
5. Lakshadweep

According to Lok Sabha data released on July 19, 2022, these five states reported the maximum deaths due to consumption of illegal and spurious liquor between 2016 and 2020:

Bihar: The state reported a total of 21 deaths due to the consumption of illegal liquor.

Chhattisgarh: Chhattisgarh logged a total of 505 deaths in 5 years.

Madhya Pradesh: Madhya Pradesh recorded over 1,200 deaths with the maximum number of deaths reported in 2018.

Karnataka: Karnataka logged a total of 909 deaths.

Punjab: Punjab reported 725 deaths.

According to the data, India reported over 6,000 deaths in 5 years between 2016 and 2020 due to the consumption of spurious liquor. India logged the lowest number of deaths in 2020 with 947.