New Delhi: The Crime Branch team of Delhi Police have arrested Ram Babu in the Bihar's Chhapra hooch tragedy case. Ram Babu, who is stated to be the mastermind in spurious liquor sale in Bihar, is arrested in Delhi on Saturday.
In the Chhapra hooch tragedy, over 70 people died in the Saran district after allegedly consuming spurious liquor. It had created a political tremor in Bihar Assembly during winter session and shook the entire nation. Ram Babu has been arrested and is currently in the custody of the Inter-State Cell of the Delhi Crime Branch.
Earlier, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Bihar Police on December 24, arrested five accused in the Chhapra hooch tragedy, including one of the masterminds, Rajesh Singh alias Doctor. Later, the Bihar police also arrested two members of the liquor mafia in a raid in the Samastipur district.
This led to a suspension of five officers including the Isuapur Police Station SHO and an investigation has been launched into the activities of other police officers. A team of the NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) also visited to Chhapra Sadar Hospital to probe the case.
The incident triggered much political heat in Bihar during the winter session of the assembly. Opposition leaders put immense pressure on state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over spurious liquor deaths in a state where liquor is banned. The CM tried to defend and referred to liquor-related deaths in other states to justify the tragedy. The CM also asked the NHRC to probe other states too in addition to the Chhapra hooch case.
Due to severe political tussle and protests, the winter session concluded abruptly ahead of schedule. The hooch tragedy led to a huge backlash against the Bihar government.
