At least 19 people have died in Nagaland’s Mokokchung and Tuensang districts over the past two days after allegedly consuming suspected spurious liquor, officials said on Saturday.
Police have arrested 19 people in connection with the deaths and launched an investigation into the source and supply chain of the illicit alcohol.
Eight deaths in Mokokchung, 11 in Tuensang
A police official in Kohima said eight deaths were reported in Mokokchung district and 11 in Tuensang district.
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. Nearly 3,000 bottles of liquor were also seized.
Nagaland has prohibition law since 1990
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 repeatedly advised people against consuming unidentified, unlabelled or suspected illicit liquor.
They have also urged anyone experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, breathing difficulties or loss of consciousness after consuming alcohol to seek immediate medical attention.
Nine died earlier this month
Earlier this month, at least nine people, including three members of a family, died at Tuensang Civil Hospital after allegedly consuming suspected spurious liquor.
The deaths prompted the state police to issue a red alert and urge people to refrain from consuming liquor from unknown or unauthorised sources.
Police officials said the victims had reportedly complained of breathlessness after consuming the suspected adulterated liquor and subsequently died.
Nagaland Director General of Police (DGP) Rupin Sharma had said the victims reportedly succumbed to what was suspected to be spurious liquor.
An official release said a total of nine deaths were reported in Tuensang Town and Chendang Saddle on September 10 and 11.
Preliminary enquiries revealed that, in most cases, the deceased had reportedly consumed liquor before developing symptoms including blurred vision, severe headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
Widespread information dissemination and public awareness efforts have also been undertaken to alert people to the potential risks associated with consuming liquor obtained from unknown, unauthorised or suspected adulterated sources, a police official said.
