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- Published: December 31, 2022 10:17
New Delhi: Bihar hooch tragedy took the lives of more than 70 people in the state and Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested the mastermind behind the case in Delhi. Ram Babu, the mastermind of a spurious liquor case has been arrested and is currently in the Inter-State Cell of the Delhi Crime Branch.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Bihar Police on December 24, arrested five accused in the Chhapra hooch tragedy, including one of the masterminds Rajesh Singh alias doctor. Following this arrest, the Bihar police arrested two members of the liquor mafia in a raid in the Samastipur district.
This case led to a suspension of five officers including the Isuapur Police Station House Officer and an investigation has been launched into the activities of other police officers. A team from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also arrived at Chhapra Sadar Hospital to probe the case.
The incident triggered politics in Bihar during the Winter Session of the assembly. Opposition leaders mounted a strong attack on CM Nitish Kumar over spurious liquor deaths in a state where liquor is banned. The Nitish government tried to defend and alleged liquor-related deaths in other states to justify the tragedy. CM also asked NHRC to probe other states too while the SIT and NHRC investigate the case in Chhapra.
After a political tussle and protests, the Winter Session was also suspended earlier than the decided date. The hooch tragedy led to a huge backlash for the Bihar government.
The liquor was banned in Bihar by the Nitish government on 6 April 2016.
