Eight die in Bihar, spurious liquor suspected as cause

Eight persons have died of in a village in Bihar`s Bhojpur district, with allegations being raised that the deaths were caused by drinking spurious liquor.

Ara: Eight persons have died of in a village in Bihar`s Bhojpur district since Thursday night, with allegations being raised that the deaths were caused by drinking spurious liquor.

The eight, including three women, of Mushar tola of Anaith village under Nawada police station area succumbed at the Sadar Hospital, Civil Surgeon Virendra Kumar said today. Autopsies were conducted on the bodies and the viscera would be taken for further tests at a forensic laboratory in Patna, he said. He had earlier said that the deaths were caused by an unknown disease. Three other persons with symptoms of the disease were under treatment at the hospital, he said. On reports that the dead were victims of spurious liquor, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Shahabad range, Ajitabh Kumar initially ruled it out. He later said a team comprising the Sub-Divisional Officer, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer and Assistant Excise Commissioner would investigate the deaths. The deaths sparked off protest by local people and CPI(M-L) Liberation members, who blocked roads alleging that the deaths were caused by drinking spurious liquor. Senior police and civil officials rushed to the spot and pacified them. The CPI(M-L) Liberation has called an Ara bandh tomorrow to protest the deaths, the party`s district unit office secretary Jitendra said in a statement. PTI