At least four people have died in a suspected hooch tragedy in Motihari in Bihar’s East Champaran district, with the toll rising on April 3 after three more deaths linked to alleged consumption of spurious liquor. The incident has led to the suspension of a station house officer and multiple arrests.
The tragedy occurred in the Turkauliya and Raghunathpur areas on April 2. Six others are currently undergoing treatment at a government hospital, while seven people have been discharged after receiving initial medical care.
East Champaran District Magistrate Saurabh Jorwal said, “The death toll has now mounted to four. Bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination. The exact cause of death can only be known after the report.”
He added that 12 individuals, including a village chowkidar, have been arrested in connection with the case. The SHO of Turkauliya police station has been suspended with immediate effect.
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Superintendent of Police Swarn Prabhat said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe the incident and a murder case has been registered based on complaints from the victims’ families.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the first victim had consumed illicit liquor in Raghunathpur, with police identifying the suspected supplier. Search operations are currently underway in Parsauni, Mushhari Tola and Turkauliya by district police along with the Anti-Liquor Task Force.
“Police have identified the liquor supplier, and he will soon be nabbed. Teams of the district police and the Anti-Liquor Task Force are conducting searches. A high-level inquiry has also been ordered into the incident,” Prabhat said earlier.
Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, criticised the government, calling the incident a ‘failure’ of the prohibition policy. In a post on X, he said such tragedies have occurred repeatedly in the state and claimed that more than 1,300 people have died due to spurious liquor consumption since April 2016.
He further alleged that the actual number could be higher, adding that many victims have also lost their eyesight. Yadav accused sections of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party–Janata Dal (United) alliance, along with corrupt officials and liquor mafias, of enabling the illegal trade.
Bihar has enforced total prohibition since April 5, 2016, banning the sale and consumption of alcohol across the state.
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