As the hooch toll in Bihar’s Chhapra has mounted to 40, hackles are being raised over the prohibition law in the state. The strict law has failed, due to its poor implementation, to check the illegal manufacture and sale of spurious liquor, which is easy to make and cheaper.
When a ban is not implemented effectively and the prices of branded liquor keep soaring, commoners, especially the poor on villages, tend to find a malicious way out.
The Chhapra case is only the latest in a series of hooch tragedies in Bihar under prohibition since 2016. Here’s a look at some recent cases.
NALANDA
Hooch claimed the lives of 13 in Nitish Kumar’s home district Nalanda in January this year. On January 16, DM Shashank Shubhankar reportedly said that 184 litres of country liquor and 225 litres of foreign liquor have been seized while 34 have been arrested in Nalanda district. The relatives of the victims said the police were responsible for the open selling of country-made liquor.
DUMRAON
Five people died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Dumraon of Buxar district on January 27this year. The incident happened in Amsari village. Four persons fell critically ill and had to be hospitalised.
BANKA, MADHEPURA, BHAGALPUR
On Holi, about three dozens died after drinking hooch in different districts. At least 12 were suspected to have died in Banka and three in Madhepura. Also, four lost their lives in Bhagalpur’s Sahebganj as well as Narayanpur, three deaths each were reported in Goradih and Kajraily, and one each in Maruf Chak, Shahkund, and Borwa villages. Seven people died in Amarpur in Banka district, while many others were hospitalized in critical condition. Family members indicated that the deceased had drunk alcohol on Holi, after which they suffered nausea and deterioration in health.
SARAN DISTRICT
In August, there were 11 deaths in Saran, and the Diwali toll in the state was 40. Hooch toll was also reported in Rohtas district.
SAMASTIPUR, GOPALGANJ, WEST CHAMPARAN
The kachhi (half-cooked) or poisonous sharab claimed over 100 lives last year. Most of the deaths during Diwali were reported in Samastipur district. At least 33 people died in Gopalganj and West Champaran districts after consuming spurious liquor.
After consuming hooch, a person develops symptoms like blurry eyesight, stiffness in body, very low blood pressure and numbness in organs below waist before collapsing.
According to the fresh amendment in Bihar’s liquor prohibition policy, culprits caught drinking for the first time in Bihar would be released after paying a fine between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000 and won’t be jailed. If a first-time offender fails to pay the penalty, then he/she spends one month in jail. If a person is caught consuming liquor for the second time, he/she will be put behind bars for one year.
The hooch tragedy in Chhapra and other such cases highlight the fact that strict laws aren’t enough to fix the situation. What is needed is a proper regulation and implementation of the law.
hief Minister Nitish Kumar shocked many by saying jo piyega woh marega (those who drink liquor, will die).
OVERCROWDED JAILS
But deaths, while tragic and devastating for the families, are only part of the tragedy. Only about 4,000 of 3.8 lakh cases lodged against prohibition violators in Bihar in six years have been disposed of, according to reports. Jails in the state are bursting at the seams, prompting the Supreme Court to asks if special detention centres are needed in Bihar for prohibition violators. A former teacher was recently given 5 years in jail for a liquor bottle found in his bag.
