Four people have died and at least six others are undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Bihar’s East Champaran district after consuming adulterated liquor. The latest hooch tragedy occurred in Turkauliya and Raghunathpur areas of Motihari on Thursday.
Hooch tragedy in Bihar’s East Champaran district
At least seven others who also sought treatment after consuming adulterated liquor have been released from hospital.
Four killed after consuming fake alcohol
“The death toll has now risen to four. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem. The exact cause of death can be known only after the report,” East Champaran District Magistrate Saurabh Jorwal said.
A total of 12 people, including the village chowkidar, have been arrested in connection with the incident, while the SHO of the Turkauliya police station has been suspended with immediate effect.
SIT probe underway
SP Swarn Prabhat said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been set up to probe the incident.
A case of murder was registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by the family members of the deceased, police said.
Read also | Bihar Hooch tragedy: 25 killed, 12 arrested in fake liquor case
“Police have identified the liquor supplier and he will be nabbed soon. A team of district police and the Anti-Liquor Task Force (ALTF) are conducting searches in Parsauni, Mushhari Tola and Turkaulia. A high-level inquiry has also been ordered into the incident,” Prabhat said on Thursday.
The third hooch tragedy in 2026
The Hooch Tragedy in Saran
This is the second tragedy in Bihar in less than a month. In the second week of March, at least five people lost their lives after consuming spurious liquor in Saran district.
In February, at least five people died after consuming suspected poisonous liquor in Bihar’s Rohtas district.
How Nitish Kumar’s liquor ban failed
Liquor ban Nitish Kumar
In fact, Bihar has seen a sharp rise in deaths due to consumption of adulterated country liquor in the last ten years. On 5 April 2016, the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government imposed a complete ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol in the state.
Although the liquor ban, a poll promise Kumar made to women voters in Bihar to curb domestic violence, only resulted in legal, “safe” alcohol becoming unavailable.
Read also | Alcohol ban in Madhya Pradesh? MP CM Mohan Yadav says “many seers have…”
Despite government promises to crack down on illegal brewing and sales, it continued unabated across Bihar, with consumption and sales peaking during festivals.
In 2025 alone, authorities seized more than 36 million liters of illegal alcohol across the state.
Since 2016, 350 people have lost their lives
In March, ADG Amit Kumar Jain said a total of 354 people had died due to consumption of spurious liquor in Bihar since the introduction of the Prohibition Act in 2016.
Read also | Prashant Kishor promises to end liquor ban in Bihar if Jan Suraaj’s party wins the polls
While these are official figures, critics point out that the true toll is much higher, as many cases are written off as health-related deaths and many more incidents involving fewer victims are rarely reported to authorities.
Will the new Bihar government continue the liquor ban?
Calls for an end to liquor prohibition in Bihar
Despite the increasing number of cases of tragedies, Kumar has repeatedly rejected calls to lift prohibition on liquor. Former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Yadav are among those who have spoken out against the ban, calling the ban a “super flop” that exists only on paper.
Even some of his current NDA allies have openly called for lifting the ban on liquor.
In February, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said the principle of prohibition was not flawed but its implementation had gone wrong.
“We have been saying for a long time that the liquor policy is not bad and prohibition should be introduced. However, there are shortcomings in its implementation,” he said.
With Kumar set to step down as Bihar Chief Minister in the coming days, it would be interesting to know what the next government’s policy is on liquor ban.
Key things
- Bihar’s liquor prohibition did not reduce alcohol consumption but led to increased deaths due to spurious liquor.
- The government faces criticism for not effectively enforcing the ban, leading to illegal production and sale.
- Despite the tragic loss, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar remains committed to prohibition, raising questions about its future.
