Liquor ban: Does nobody die of spurious liqour in Bihar anymore?

Believe it or not, not only there is a ban on liquor in Bihar but also an undeclared ban on dying of spurious liquor.

For example, an investigation report signed by Banka DM and SP says that “nine people who died in the district on March 18, 2022, their families have said that death occurred due to illness”.

The post-mortem was not done,the investigation did not confirm the death due to spurious liquor. This is not the only investigation report, in the month of March such deaths occurred in Bhagalpur, Gopalganj, Bettiah, Siwan, Katihar and Sheikhpura. And everywhere similar reports were made.

The officers understand quite well CM’s fondness for being called ‘Sushasan Babu’and his determination to implement liquor ban.So, whenever there is news of several deaths at a time, the policeand local administration gets super active— well, not to investigate the reason of deaths but to hide it. The police tries to ensure quick cremation of the bodies so that the cause of death due to liquor consumption does not come out.

Every chowkidar in every district of Bihar has strict instructions to ensure that deaths due to alcoholism do not make the headlines. If made, the first victim would be the watchman. From the watchman to the SHO, everyone is afraid of losing his job if a case of liquor consumption is found in their area.

Some officers on the condition of anonymity, say, “If despite the prohibition, death due to spurious liquor is confirmed, then it will be a proof that liquor was available. Nowadays, police officials face more music than the ones who drink and sell alcohol. Therefore, more than finding out illegal liquor, it is important to prevent the confirmation of death by alcohol.”

In fact, fed up of the way the government is cracking down on police and excise officials in the cases where illegal liquor is found in their jurisdiction, the officials have found a way out to please the king. If the post-mortem is not done, the rest of the questions will just disappear.

The condition is such that even when the one who lost his eye to spurious liquor is saying that hooch is responsible for his condition and the father who lost his son to such poison is insisting that his son drank alcohol from that bottle, no one is taking cognizance, for obvious reasons.

Dozens of deaths occurred in Bihar within a month, but only in a few cases the police confirmed the death due to hooch, that too when there was no way out. Such as in Bhagalpur where the two who drank with the deceased somehow survived to tell the story to media.

Such is the penetration of spurious liquor in the state that even a young constable of Begusarai, who was undergoing training in Banka district, died. Before his death, he had even complained of losing vision after consuming liquor, but after his death, his father denied that his son had consumed hooch.

In Siwan too, after the death of two on March 21, the relatives informed the police about their drinking, but the SHO clearly said that this was not a case of alcoholism.

On Holi alone, 17 people died in Bhagalpur, 12 in Banka and three in Madhepura, while two people lost their eyesight in Madhepura after consuming spurious liquor. This after the state Excise Department being on highalert since February end itself.

(This was published in National Herald on Sunday)