Bengal hooch toll rises to 11

The death toll in Saturday’s hooch tragedy in West Bengal’s East Midnapore district on Monday rose to 11, police said.

“So far 11 people have died since Saturday and at least 35 others have been hospitalized. The post-mortem reports are awaited and it appears the deaths have occurred due to hooch,” said District Magistrate Antara Acharya.

While four people died on Saturday and Sunday each, three more died on Monday.

“Relatives of those who died on Saturday cremated the bodies without informing the authorities. As post mortem could not be conducted on those bodies it is difficult to establish their cause of death. The administration is carrying out a through probe into the matter,” added Acharya.

<g data-gr-id="30">Meanwhile</g> at least 22 people have been arrested for allegedly being associated with the hooch trade.

“Five persons died till late on Sunday while four died on Saturday and we are probing if the deaths were caused by consuming of illicit liquor. We have sent our team to look into the matter,” SP Alok Rajoria said.

While four persons from Kiyarana had died on Sunday afternoon, one more succumbed at ‘Purba Medinipur Zilla Hospital’ late Sunday night taking the death toll to five and the overall hooch death toll in past three days to ten, he had said.

Meanwhile, at least 32 were hospitalised at local Moyna health centre and the ‘Purba Medinipur Zilla Hospital’ but all in stable condition, the SP, who went to the affected villages, said, adding, they were admitted after complaining of uneasiness.

Series of raids are on at different places in and around Moyna Tehsil as part of the investigation, Rajoria said.