PATNA: Contaminated liquor claimed five more lives in ‘dry’ Bihar. The latest incident has been reported from Rohtas district where five people, including two brothers, lost their lives after consuming spurious liquor since Diwali.
The deceased have been identified as Manish Singh (40), Sanjay Yadav (40), Dhananjay Singh (40), Buddhu Paswan (28), and his brother Chandan Paswan (24). Sukhnandan Paswan, whose two brothers died in the incident, is battling for his life in a local hospital.
Local residents told police that Sanjay Yadav’s health deteriorated soon after he returned home in an inebriated condition on Diwali night. The next day, two more residents—Buddhu Paswan and Manish Singh—developed similar symptoms.
The trio died at a local nursing home during treatment on the intervening nights of Monday and Tuesday. Sanjay Singh and Dhananjay Paswan died in the wee hours of Wednesday. The death of five people at Barki Kharari and Pahari villages left local residents shocked.
Narottam Chandra, station house officer (SHO) of Kargahar police station under whose jurisdiction the two villages fall, however, confirmed the death of only three persons and attributed the reason to an ‘unidentified disease’.
“The investigation is underway. The statement of family members of victims has been recorded,” SHO Chandra told this newspaper over the phone on Wednesday.
Major hooch tragedies in Bihar in 2022
14 January, 2022: Five people died in a hooch tragedy at Sohsarai in Nalanda district.
18 March, 2022: 12 persons died after consuming spurious liquor in Banka district.
21 March, 2022: Three persons were killed after consuming poisonous alcohol in Madhepura district.
May 24, 2022: 13 people died after consuming illicit liquor in Aurangabad.
August 5: 17 people were killed after consuming spurious liquor in Saran district.