Gopalganj liquor tragedy: SHO and 15 police officials suspended

Gopalganj, Patna: The Gopalganj incident, which provided opportunity to opposition BJP and its NDA partners to attack the Nitish government after 17 people died in due to consumption of Methyl alcohol; has led to suspension of the SHO along with 15 police official. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday expressed grave concern over the tragedy, the first major incident after Bihar was declared a complete dry state on April 5. He told reporters that the incident was serious and expressed confidence that truth would come out in the forensic test of viscera and blood samples of deceased. Gopalganj District Magistrate Rahul Kumar said “post-mortem report of the deceased indicated death due to either consumption of hooch or some spurious substance mixed in some drink”. Nitish Kumar had appealed to the kin of the deceased not to be scared and speak the truth so that the culprits behind the incident could be caught and severely punished. He said if the deaths are due to hooch, compensation of Rs 4 lakh each would be given to the family members of the victims. He added that Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh and state police chief P K Thakur, were keeping a close watch over the Gopalganj incident and there was no chance of culprits escaping from the law. The chief minister said total prohibition in Bihar since April has taken shape of a social change under which some such unpleasant events would crop up which would be dealt with sternly. SP Kumar said that six persons have been arrested in connection with death of 15 people on Tuesday. An FIR has been lodged against the six and some others with the town police station. DM Kumar said a hectic search is on for two persons released recently after arrest under new Excise law. Even relatives of some of the deceased told us their names, he said but refused to disclose the names which might disturb the probe. The SP said that during search operations in Khajurbanni locality, 45 gallons of 'mahua' (country liquor) hidden inside the earth have been recovered. In addition, 25 empty bottles of a homeopathic medicine Dhuja which has alcoholic contents have been also found from the place of incident, the SP added. The DM said that initially 13 people had died but later two more succumbed at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) in Patna where four more are under treatment.