Toll in Nadia hooch tragedy rises to 12

The toll in the hooch tragedy in Nadia district rose to 12 with five more people dying here, District Magistrate Sumit Gupta said Thursday.

Of the 12 deceased persons, one was a woman, he added.

"The death toll is 12 now. The condition of the 25 people, who are undergoing treatment at the Shantipur State General Hospital, is quite serious. Depending on the nature of their treatment, we will think of shifting them to hospitals in Kolkata," Gupta told PTI.

The state CID, which has taken over the case, has so far arrested four people in connection with their involvement in selling spurious liquor in Shantipur area, a senior officer of the agency said.

 

"All the four people were produced before a court which has ordered police remand for all of them," he said.

Asked whether the liquor was brought from outside the state, the officer said, "So far, the arrested people have not told us anything of such sort. We are conducting tests of the liquor and trying to find out whether they were mixed with any chemical from outside."

The state government announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.

Eleven excise officials have been suspended, police said.

On Wednesday, locals at Nrishinghapur village in Nadia district consumed spurious liquor, they said.

A majority of the dead and the sick were brick-field labourers, the locals said, alleging that the spurious liquor was brought from nearby Kalna in Burdwan district.