Patna: After the hooch tragedy in Bihar`s East Champaran that has claimed 31 lives, the district police suspended SHOs of five police stations, an official said on Monday. A letter in this regard was issued from the district SP office saying that the SHOs of Turkaulia, Sugaili, Paharpur, Harsidhi, and Raghunathpur police stations have been suspended with immediate effect.

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Kantesh Kumar Mishra, the SP of East Champaran district said: "The officers of five police stations were suspected for their callous attitude. Hence, we have taken action against them and suspended them from immediate effect. We have also arrested 20 accused so far. The district police will not let anyone go scot-free."

Meanwhile, the toll has reached 31 in the hooch tragedy that struck on Thursday. 22 people had died by Saturday and nine more persons succumbed till Monday morning. According to a police officer, 20 people were admitted to different private hospitals in the district. Five of them are in serious condition. Besides, eight people have lost their eyesight.


Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said he is deeply pained over the deaths in the suspected hooch tragedy at Motihari in East Champaran district, and announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. He further stated that "He also said the family members will have to declare that they would encourage people to quit liquor and support prohibition laws of the state government. The sale and consumption of alcohol was completely banned in Bihar in April, 2016.


Police recovered 370 liters of country-made liquor, 50 liters of spirit, and 1,150 liters of other chemicals used in the manufacturing of spurious liquor," the administration said in a statement on Sunday. The opposition BJP termed the hooch tragedy in Motihari as a "mass murder by the Nitish Kumar government".


Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly, Vijay Kumar Sinha, had on Sunday accused the state administration of "protecting liquor mafias who are associated with the ruling JD(U) and the RJD".


The party will approach the National Human Rights Commission and other such central bodies to conduct a "probe into the hooch tragedy", former state BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal said. The Nitish Kumar government imposed a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol on April 5, 2016. Notably, incidents of smuggling of liquor continue to be reported from the state, notwithstanding the ongoing drive against bootleggers.


(With agency inputs)