• catastrophe involving the saran hooch: 11 dead after eight more pass away

    National
    catastrophe involving the saran hooch: 11 dead after eight more pass away




    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black;mso-bidi-font-weight:
    bold"> 
    Digital Desk: With eight more persons passing away since Thursday night
    and into Friday morning, the death toll from the hooch catastrophe that
    occurred on Wednesday in Noniatoli under Maker police station in Bihar's Saran
    district has increased to 11.



    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#424242"> 



    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#424242">Rajesh Meena, the
    district magistrate for Saran, has acknowledged that consumption of fake
    alcohol may have contributed to the deaths of the 11 persons who have already
    passed away. "I have reports regarding the fatalities, and an
    investigation is ongoing. The route of smuggled alcohol to the region is being
    traced. Niraj Mishra, the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Maker police
    station, and the chowkidar of the Phulwaria Bhatha village have been suspended
    for selling or smuggling alcohol inside their respective jurisdictions, the
    official continued.



    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#424242"> 



    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#424242">Due to subpar
    implementation on the ground, the incident showed the futility of the
    prohibition drive. In Saran district alone, seven similar instances have been
    reported so far this year, resulting in the deaths of close to 25 individuals.



    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#424242"> 



    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#424242">SP Saran According to
    Santosh Kumar, a number of persons have been held in this regard, and evidence
    is being gathered to determine how the alcohol entered the area and who
    supplied it.



    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#424242"> 



    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#424242">We've also talked to
    the locals and advised them to report any instances of illegal alcohol
    trafficking without hesitation. No unwary individual will experience
    harassment. The SP continued by saying that DSPs from Marhaura and Sonpur are
    camped in the village and that the police had also spoken to those
    hospitalised. He stated, "We have begun an investigation into the
    situation.



    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#424242">Locals have protested
    the occurrence in the streets by blocking the main route at the intersection
    connecting Patna, Siwan, and Muzaffarpur.



    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#424242"> 



    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#424242">Additionally, they
    blocked State Highway 73 and National Highway 722 for more than six hours,
    delayed traffic, and chanted anti-police and anti-administration slogans
    because of their claimed connections to the liquor mafia. They said that
    Ramanand Manjhi has been operating an illicit booze production facility nearby
    for a number of years with the help of neighbourhood police and excise officers.
    Even while concerned officials were aware of the unlawful transaction, they
    chose not to intervene.



    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#424242"> 



    The irate protesters claimed that the local police and
    excise department were complicit in the illegal sale and smuggling of alcohol.



    The four Mahto brothers—Upendra, Akhilesh, Ramnath, and
    Chandeshwar—who are patients at the Chhapra Sadar hospital—said their vision
    dimmed 7-8 hours after ingesting the fake alcohol. We were admitted to the
    hospital when things got worse, they continued.