Kohima, Sep 26 (IANS): At least 19 people have died in Nagaland’s Mokokchung and Tuensang districts over the past two days after allegedly consuming suspected spurious liquor, prompting police to launch a probe into the source and supply chain of the illicit alcohol, officials said on Saturday. As many as 19 people have been arrested in connection with the hooch tragedy till now.
A police official in Kohima said eight deaths were reported in Mokokchung district and 11 in Tuensang district.
He said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Additional Superintendent of Police, Bunglang Chang, has been constituted to investigate the deaths and trace the source of the suspected adulterated liquor.
“Some leads have been obtained, but it is too premature to disclose details,” the official said.
Samples of the liquor have been sent to a laboratory in Guwahati for forensic examination to ascertain the cause of the deaths, he said.
Following the fatalities, police conducted raids at multiple locations and arrested 19 people, while nearly 3,000 bottles of liquor were seized.
Nagaland has had a prohibition law in force since 1990, although the consumption and illegal sale of liquor continue to pose challenges in the state.
Police have, on a number of occasions, advised people against consuming unidentified, unlabelled or suspected illicit liquor and urged anyone experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, breathing difficulties or loss of consciousness after consuming alcohol to seek immediate medical attention.
The investigation is underway.
Meanwhile, earlier this month at least nine people, including three members of a family, died at the Tuensang Civil Hospital in Nagaland after allegedly consuming suspected spurious liquor, prompting the state police to issue a red alert and urge people to refrain from consuming liquor from unknown or unauthorised sources.
Police officials had said that the victims reportedly complained of breathlessness after consuming the suspected adulterated liquor and subsequently died.
Nagaland Director General of Police (DGP) Rupin Sharma had said that the victims reportedly succumbed to what is suspected to be spurious liquor. An official release had said that a total of nine deaths were reported in Tuensang Town and Chendang Saddle on September 10 and 11.
Preliminary enquiries revealed that in most of the cases, the deceased had reportedly consumed liquor before developing symptoms such as blurred vision, severe headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
Widespread information dissemination and public awareness efforts have also been undertaken to alert people about the potential risks associated with consuming liquor obtained from unknown, unauthorised or suspected adulterated sources, a police official said.
