Bihar hooch tragedy: Toll rises to 20; Nitish loses cool in assembly

NEW DELHI: At least 20 people died in Bihar's Saran district on Wednesday a day after consuming spurious liquor at a local joint, according to the police.
The incident triggered a political slugfest in the Bihar assembly, with opposition leaders mounting a strong attack on Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar over a spate of deaths due to consumption of illicit liquor in the state.
Later, an irate Nitish lost his cool in the assembly and snapped at opposition MLAs who targeted the government over prohibition in the state.
Sale and consumption of alcohol were banned in Bihar by the Nitish Kumar government in April 2016.
Here are the key developments ...
20 die in suspected hooch tragedy
The death toll in the suspected liquor poisoning rose to 20 on Wednesday, news agency ANI reported.
Some people consumed liquor till late on Tuesday at a local joint, and fell ill after returning home, police said.
According to sources, some of the victims had complained of uneasiness, nausea, breathlessness, stomach pain and blurry vision.
After the deaths, angry villagers blocked the Masrakh Hanuman Chowk on State Highway 90 and raised slogans against the district administration.
The district administration officials have said the cause of the deaths is yet to be ascertained.
'Vision loss, uneasiness'
The son of one of the victims said that his father went out with his friends in the village on December 12 for a liquor party.
"After he returned home, his health deteriorated and he started vomiting. We took him to the nearby hospital, where he succumbed,” he said.
"My brother complained of vision loss and uneasiness, we took him to Masrak health centre for treatment. Seeing his deteriorating condition, the doctors referred him to Sadar Hospital, where he died," said the brother of another victim.
Bihar govt vows strict action
Following the tragedy, Bihar excise minister Sunil Kumar on Wednesday "confirmed" that a few people died from consuming spurious liquor and vowed that govt would take "strict action" against the culprits.
"Process of filling an FIR is underway. I have spoken over the phone with SP. He confirmed the death of six people so far," Sunil Kumar said after being asked about police taking any action in this case.
"We do not shy away from arresting or taking action in such cases, whenever there is any evidence," he asserted.
Kumar said that the JD(U) government will continue to "crackdown on culprits responsible for deaths".
Opposition attacks Nitish government
The incident triggered a massive political showdown in the state, with opposition lawmakers staging a demonstration outside the state assembly.
Protesting over the incident, MLAs of the opposition BJP blamed the "nexus" between police and illicit liquor traders for the deaths.
BJP MLAs stage protest against the liquor ban policy
"We have always supported the ban on liquor, even when it was introduced while we were in opposition. But its implementation has been a complete failure," said former deputy chief minister Tarkishor Prasad.
Nitish loses cool
Under attack from BJP lawmakers, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar lost his cool in the state assembly on Wednesday.
The Janata Dal-United chief slammed the BJP for protesting the deaths as leader of opposition Vijay Kumar Sinha questioned the state's liquor ban policy.


" Sharab bandi ke paksh mein aap sab the ya nahi?...Kya ho gaya?..Sharabi ho gaye tum log...Ab tolerate nahi kiya jaayega, (Weren't you all in favour of prohibition? What happened? Are you all drunkards now ... this will not be tolerated)" a visibly angry Nitish Kumar shouted in the House as the BJP MLAs mounted attack.
Meanwhile, even a JD(U) MLA blamed the government over prohibition.
Speaking in the assembly, JD(U)'s Sanjeev Kumar said, “Liquor ban has completely failed in Bihar and dalit and extremely backward class people are becoming the victims of the law. We need to review the law again.”
'Nitish's time over'
BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi reacted strongly to Nitish's 'sharabi' statement in the assembly, asserting that the Bihar CM's "time is over".
"The tenure of Nitish Kumar is over. He has lost his memory. He calls Prashant Kishor and BJP MLAs as 'tu', 'tum'. It happened earlier as well. He loses his temper very often now. But his disposition was not like this before," the former deputy chief minister told ANI.
'Nitish should reconsider prohibition policy in Bihar'
Bihar BJP leaders, including Union minister Giriraj Singh, on Wednesday asked CM Nitish Kumar to reconsider prohibition policy in the state, claiming that it has failed with illegal sale of spurious liquor causing frequent deaths and rise in crimes linked to it.
Singh told reporters outside Parliament that Kumar should convene an all-party meeting on the issue and take a decision accordingly. "If a policy is not successful, then it should be reconsidered," he said.
Pataliputra MP and former Union minister Ram Kripal Yadav echoed Singh's view and said the chief minister should not make prohibition a matter of personal prestige. "He should either implement it effectively or resign," he added.
(With inputs from agencies)Watch On cam: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar loses cool in Assembly