2 cops suspended over Bihar hooch tragedy, 94 detained for violating prohibition law
India Today
With five more people losing their lives on Friday, the administration suspended the SHO and local chowkidar of the Maker police station under whose jurisdiction the incident occurred in Noniya Tola village of Bihar.
As the death toll in the Bihar hooch tragedy rose to 12, with five more people losing their lives on Friday, the administration suspended the Station House Officer (SHO) and local chowkidar of the Maker police station under whose jurisdiction the incident occurred in Noniya Tola village in the Chhapra district.
The police have also detained 94 people in connection with the incident for violating the prohibition law and consuming illicit liquor.
District Magistrate of Chhapra Rajesh Meena and SP Santosh Kumar on Friday confirmed that the death of 12 people was because of the consumption of spurious liquor on Tuesday on the occasion of the Nag Panchami celebration after which several people developed complications.
"SHO and chowkidar have been suspended on charges of dereliction of duty. Had the chowkidar been vigilant, such an incident would not have happened,” Rajesh Meena, DM Chhapra, said.
Furthermore, more than 15 people have also lost their eyesight as 35 were still undergoing treatment at hospitals in Chhapra and Patna.
Ramanand Manjhi, believed to be the main accused in the hooch case, is absconding after the incident. The police had raided the location, just about 200 metres outside the Noniya Tola village where Manjhi was running a manufacturing unit and selling spurious liquor. They seized 1,450 litres of liquor along with spirit and other material which was used to produce the adulterated liquor.
