Motihari (Bihar): The state authorities on Wednesday sent a show-cause notice to seven officials of the excise department against the backdrop of the Hooch tragedy case in Bihar's Champaran. The notices, issued by Motihari's District Magistrate Saurabh Jorwal, specify that the authorities will initiate adequate action, including possible suspension, if the responses to the show cause served are not satisfactory.
The officials who received the notice include Ekramul Haque, Soni Saroj, Abhishek Anand, Manish Sarraf, Priyanka Kumari, Rajkumar, and Vikesh Kumar Rai. The development comes 5 days after 31 people lost their lives after consumption of spurious liquor in Bihar's Champaran, even as some sources claim the death toll to have unofficially reached the 40 mark. Though no death has been reported in the past 24 hours because of the incident, many are still admitted at the hospital receiving treatment while 8 of these patients have lost eyesight.
The district police had earlier suspended SHOs of Turkauliya, Harsiddhi, Sugauli and Paharpur police stations and Raghunathpur outpost on the charge of dereliction of duties, East Champaran SP Kantesh Kumar Mishra said. Besides, disciplinary actions were taken against 11 police personnel, including nine chowkidars, on Sunday, he said, adding that the district police have so far registered five cases and the investigation into the hooch tragedy is underway.
Also read: Bihar hooch death toll reaches 40, at least a dozen more critical
The East Champaran police also arrested 80 people for allegedly being involved in the illegal trade of liquor in the district. Huge quantities of spurious liquor and other related chemicals were seized during searches at more than 600 places in different parts of Motihari where deaths due to the consumption of illicit alcohol were first reported on April 15.
Meanwhile, taking a U-turn on paying compensation to the victims of hooch tragedies in dry Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday announced conditional payment of an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of those who died after drinking spurious liquor since 2016 when the prohibition policy was launched.
After 26 people died in a hooch tragedy in December 2022, the chief minister had said Jo piyega woh marega (those who drink spurious alcohol will die), drawing flak from opposition parties and various other quarters.
However, Kumar changed his stance this time saying: I am deeply pained at what happened in Motihari I know that the majority of people who die in such incidents belong to the economically weaker sections. Despite our best attempts, hooch incidents are taking place in the state and people are dying after consuming spurious liquor.
