Bihar's Dry Spell: 7 Years Of Liquor Ban, Deaths And Hooch Tragedies Continue

Since the implementation of the liquor prohibition law in Bihar in 2016, 199 official deaths caused by consuming illicit alcohol have been recorded. This number increases to 269 if suspected hooch deaths are included.

Despite 30 cases being filed, not a single person has been convicted yet.

In March 2021, a lower court convicted thirteen individuals for their involvement in the 2016 Gopalganj hooch deaths. However, in July of the same year, the Patna High Court acquitted them.

As per the report, the Bihar Police have compiled a 10-page internal list of spurious liquor deaths cases between 2016 and 2023. However, the recent East Champaran case claiming the lives of 26 individuals after consuming illicit liquor is not included.

The list mentioned 30 cases over a seven-year period, including 10 cases where 10 or more people died as a result of consuming illicit alcohol.

The list indicates that the highest number of deaths occurred in 2022, with a total of 114 fatalities, followed by 64 deaths in 2021.

The list also confirms the occurrence of 42 deaths in Saran in December 2022, and includes a total of '72' suspected deaths.

The National Human Rights Commission conducted an inquiry into the matter in Saran and reported a total of 72 deaths, criticising the state government for under-reporting the number of deaths due to spurious liquor.

Of the 30 spurious liquor death cases, the state police's report showed that 29 investigations are ongoing and unresolved, reported The Indian Express.

Forty persons have faced charges in 22 different cases, but only one case has resulted in a conviction. This case was related to the 2016 Gopalganj hooch tragedy, which claimed the lives of 19 people. In this case, nine individuals were sentenced to death and four were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Gopalganj court.

However, the Patna High Court overturned the decision, citing a lack of corroborative evidence and acquitted all of the accused.

Although Nitish Kumar had claimed the speedy trial of liquor cases in Bihar, recent police status reports suggest otherwise.

Some other reports suggest that more than 3.75 lakh cases have been registered under liquor laws, resulting in over 4.25 lakh arrests. A staggering 90 per cent of these cases are related to liquor consumption, the report said.

Currently, around 25,000 people are imprisoned in 57 jails across the state for violating the liquor ban.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday announced that a sum of Rs 4 lakh would be given to the families of those who died after consuming illicit liquor in East Champaran last week.

“But, the family members will have to give in writing to the district magistrate concerned that the death took place after consuming illicit liquor. They will have to disclose the source from where the alcohol was procured," he added.

The toll in the East Champaran tragedy rose to 26 on Monday with four more deaths, police said.

Earlier, Nitish Kumar had taken a different stance by refusing to offer compensation to the families of individuals who lost their lives due to consuming illicit alcohol in Saran in December 2022. “Jo piyega woh marega” (those who will drink spurious alcohol will die)," the CM had said.