Seven people allegedly died after consuming spurious liquor in West Champaran district, Bihar, leading to the administration ordering a detailed investigation into the deaths.
The police learned about the deaths on Sunday, though the first fatality occurred four days earlier. The bodies of all seven individuals had already been cremated by the time authorities were informed, officials confirmed.
According to Superintendent of Police Shaurya Suman, the deaths occurred in the Lauriya police station area, and while locals pointed to spurious liquor as the cause, the SP clarified that at least two of the fatalities were unrelated to hooch. One victim had been hit by a tractor, and another had suffered a paralytic attack.
“The first death happened on January 15, but we only learned of the incident today. The cause of the remaining five deaths remains unclear as the bodies were cremated before the police were notified. We have formed an investigation team to determine the cause of these deaths,” Suman said in a statement to PTI on Sunday.
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West Champaran’s Deputy Development Commissioner (DDC), Sumit Kumar, expressed difficulty in determining the exact cause of death due to the bodies being cremated.
However, he confirmed that the investigation team had been instructed to submit its report within 24 hours. The team will also work to identify those who died over the past few days in the Lauriya area.
A family member of one of the deceased stated, “My brother, Pradeep, consumed alcohol with his friend, Manish. Both of them died.”
Bihar has been a dry state since the Nitish Kumar government imposed a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol in April 2016.
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