Spurious Liquor

Spurious liquor claims 231 lives in Odisha over past 27 yrs, assembly told

As many as 231 people died after consuming spurious liquor in Odisha in 27 years between 1992 and 2019, Excise Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan informed the assembly on Saturday. In a written reply to a question of Congress MLA Nilamadhab Hikaka, the minister said the highest number of 134 people died after consuming hooch in Cuttack district in 1992. He said 41 people of Tukulipada in the then Bhubaneswar & Cuttack district lost their lives after drinking such liquor in 2012. The minister said spurious liquor also claimed 20 lives in Puri in 2001, 19 in Ganjam district in 2006, ten (three in Khurda & seven in Bolangir) in 2009 and seven in Bhadrak district in 2019. Harichandan said that the government, at present, doesn't have any proposal to provide assistance and rehabilitation to people falling ill due to the consumption of hooch and those addicted to liquor. A total of 433 country liquor (Mahua) shops are operating in Odisha and the government has collected Rs 227 crore ..

14 fall ill after consuming spurious liquor in Odisha's Ganjam district

At least 14 people fell ill after allegedly consuming 'spurious' liquor in Odisha's Ganjam district, police said on Tuesday. The incident took place at Moundpur village in Chikita area late on Monday night. All the affected persons hailed from Karbalua village. They had consumed country liquor. Some of them complained of uneasiness and severe vomiting. They were rushed to the community health centre at Chikiti. Later 14 of them were shifted to the MKCH Medical College Hospital here. While 12 people were being treated at the medicine ward, two had been admitted to the ICU, police said. Excise Commissioner Narasingha Bhol and Ganjam district collector Dibyajyoti Parida visited the hospital. "Some people have been arrested on charge of selling illicit liquor. Samples of the liquor have been collected and sent for laboratory test", the district collector said. The excise commissioner said stringent action to be taken against the people undertaking illegal liquor business in the area.

Tamil Nadu hooch tragedy: 111 persons undergoing treatment in hospitals

At Puducherry 11 persons, in Salem district 30 persons, and in Villupuram district 4 persons are undergoing treatment at various government hospitals

Death toll in Sangrur spurious liquor case rises to 20; SIT formed

The death toll due to the suspected consumption of spurious liquor in Punjab's Sangrur district has climbed to twenty, with six more persons succumbing, officials on Saturday said. Meanwhile, a four-member special investigation team (SIT), led by an additional director general of police (ADGP) rank officer, has been set up in connection with the incident. Eleven people are undergoing treatment at Patiala's Rajindra Hospital and six at the Civil Hospital in Sangrur. Sangrur Civil Surgeon Kirpal Singh on Saturday said that 20 people have died so far in the incident. The officials said that the casualties have been reported from Gujran, Tibbi Ravidaspura and Dhandoli Khurd villages in Dirba and Sunam blocks. The police have made six arrests in the case so far, they said. The AAP government has been under fire from the opposition parties Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) over the Sangrur hooch tragedy. A case has already been registered under Section 302 (murder) of the Ind

Three dead, one hospitalised after drinking 'spurious' liquor in Bihar

Three persons died and one was admitted to hospital after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Bihar's Sitamarhi district, police said. Three persons have been arrested so far on charges of selling fake liquor, they said. "Following a tip-off that two persons were undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Sitamarhi after drinking spurious liquor, police reached the spot in the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. However, by the time they arrived at the hospital, one person identified as Awadesh Kumar had died. The exact cause of death can only be ascertained after post-mortem," a police statement said. Another person identified as Roshan Rai is undergoing treatment at the hospital and police are in touch with his family members, it said. During the course of investigation, police came to know that two more persons had died in the area after drinking spurious liquor. "Villagers informed police about the death of two more in the area. However, their bodies were cremated

TN tragedy was led by methanol consumption, not hooch, claims police

The tragedy that struck Ekkiyarkuppam and Perunkaranai villages of Tamil Nadu was due to the consumption of methanol, a deadly concoction made by illicit brewers, and not due to spurious liquor, the police claimed on Tuesday. The organic chemical was procured from a man from Puducherry by various persons and it was used to brew the spurious liquor, a release from the DGP C Sylendra Babu said. This light, volatile, colourless and flammable liquid is used for industrial purposes. Methanol has the odour of alcohol. "Due to the effective measures taken to prevent the brewing of illicit liquor in Tamil Nadu, and also the enhanced vigil to curtail the movement of the illicit liquor, resulted in its non-availability in the state. Few persons resorted to selling the chemical substance stolen from industrial units. Hence, this tragedy," the release said. Investigation is on to find out from which industrial unit this methanol was stolen and the nexus between those involved in this nefarious

6 dead after consuming spurious liquor, CM Nitish calls it sad incident

Reacting to the hooch tragedy in Motihari, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday said that it's a sad incident and asked for all information related to it

Five accused including mastermind arrested in Chhapra hooch tragedy

Police said the arrested people used to manufacture spurious liquor from chemicals and sugar in homoeopathic medicines

'Mastermind' among 5 arrested in Bihar's Saran hooch tragedy case

In a major breakthrough, the Bihar Police on Friday arrested five people, including the main accused, in the Saran hooch tragedy case, a senior officer said. A special investigation team, constituted by the state police in the incident, apprehended a homoeopathy compounder, allegedly the mastermind of the hooch tragedy that claimed 38 lives, Saran Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar said. "Police seized a vehicle, used for transporting chemicals from Uttar Pradesh and supplying liquors in and around Masrakh in Saran. Empty bottles of chemicals that were used in manufacturing spurious liquor were also recovered, the SP said. The SIT had earlier arrested nine people in connection with the case. "The preliminary investigation revealed that the mastermind with the help of his associates used to manufacture spurious liquor by mixing homoeopathy medicine and sugar. They (accused) used to supply illicit liquor in several areas of Saran district through their vendors or associates," he

Pathetic law and order responsible for Saran liquor tragedy: Giriraj Singh

BJP's firebrand leader and Union Minister Giriraj Singh has said that the Saran liquor tragedy took place due to the pathetic law and order situation in Bihar

Police launch 'Operation Clean Drive' after hooch deaths in Bihar's Chhapra

Amid the hooch deaths in Bihar's Chhapra, with the toll currently at 72, the Saran Police on Monday launched Operation 'Clean Drive' against the sale and consumption of alcohol in the state

Bihar hooch tragedy: Sobering reality of missing liquor policy

Based on latest available data, of the 947 deaths due to spurious liquor in 2020, a majority were in Madhya Pradesh (214), Jharkhand (139), and Punjab (133)

NHRC "independently" decided to probe Chhapra hooch tragedy: Nityanand Rai

As the death toll in Bihar's Chhapra due to the consumption of spurious liquor mounted to 72, Union Minister Nityanand Rai on Sunday accused the state government of "hiding" the actual number

NHRC notice to Bihar govt, state police chief over Saran hooch tragedy

The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the Bihar government and the state's police chief over the Saran hooch tragedy in which at least 30 people have died, officials said on Friday. 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. The Saran hooch tragedy toll rose to 30 on Friday, the biggest since Bihar went dry more than six years ago, and it continued to cast a shadow on the state legislature where BJP members disrupted proceedings in both Houses before staging a Raj Bhavan march. However, unconfirmed reports claimed up to 50 people died by drinking illicitly brewed country liquor. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has "taken suo motu cognisance of the media reports that several people have died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Saran district of Bihar," it said. The commission has observed that the contents of the media repor

2 more deaths reported in Bihar hooch tragedy; toll in Saran rises to 28

The Bihar hooch tragedy toll climbed to 28 with two more deaths reported, a top Saran district official said. Saran District Magistrate Rajesh Meena told PTI, "The suspected hooch death has increased to 28 (till Thursday night) in the district". The DM said that action has also been initiated against officials concerned. "We have also conducted intensive raids across the district in the last 48 hours and nabbed 126 hooch 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. The DM and the

5 dead after consuming spurious liquor in Bihar's Chhapra, say police

At least three people in Chhapra area of Bihar's Saran district have died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor amid reports that the toll is expected to climb, said police on Wednesday.Though the police in Ishauvpur have not confirmed the cause of "suspicious" deaths yet, they apprehended that the toll may rise which various sources put at five, six and 10."Three died, bodies sent for postmortem, these look like suspicious deaths. I have also received information that some more are receiving treatment at different places," SP S Kumar said.Madhepur DSP reached the spot and started the investigation. The police are searching for more sick people who might be in hiding to avoid interrogation as the sale and consumption of alcohol is completely banned in Bihar since April 2016.Among the deceased are Amit Ranjan, who died during treatment at Chhapra Sadar Hospital. The district police force have reached the hospital and taken Ranjan's body into custody. The police said that the cause .

'Serious issue': SC pulls up Punjab govt over sale of spurious liquor

The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the Punjab government over the issue of sale of spurious liquor in the state, saying "Punjab is a border state and this is a very serious matter"

Four men die after consuming 'spurious drink' in Haryana; probe on

Four men died in Haryana, ostensibly after consuming spurious drink, police said on Tuesday. Three of the deceased hailed from a village in Sonipat district while the other victim, who was their relative, hailed from neighbouring Panipat, the police said. Two of them worked in a sugar mill in Panipat, they said. "We cannot say whether they died due to consumption of spurious liquor. A post mortem will reveal the exact cause of death. However, preliminary investigations suggest that they consumed some spurious drink. What that drink was is a matter of investigation," said a police official in Sonipat. The men, all in their mid 30s, had consumed the drink on Sunday, the police added. "We are investigating where they consumed the drink and from where they had bought it," said the official.

UP CM lauds excise department for curbing sale of spurious liquor

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday hailed the excise department's efforts to curb the supply and black-marketing of spurious liquor and increasing revenue, a government spokesperson said. Adityanath was speaking at an event where he congratulated 332 new constables on their recruitment to the excise department. He said, "Tireless efforts were made after 2017 to curb the supply of spurious liquor. Resultantly, the state managed to gather a revenue of about Rs 42,000 crore by the end of this year, in contrast to just Rs 12,000 crore in 2017. I urge all the newly-recruited constables to work as transparently and dedicatedly as the government did during their recruitment." The chief minister also expressed happiness on the recruitment of 109 women constables and said, "It is extremely heartening to see about 30% recruitment of women during the holy 'Sharadiya Navratri'. The government is committed to providing employment opportunities to the youth with utmost ...

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