Guwahati: Nine people have died in Nagaland’s Tuensang district after allegedly drinking suspected spurious liquor between September 10 and 11, prompting police to issue a state-wide advisory in the dry state where alcohol is banned.
“Alarming information is coming from Tuensang. At least nine deaths have been reported from the Civil Hospital, Tuensang,” Director General of Police Rupin Sharma posted on social media.
Sharma attributed the deaths to suspected adulterated liquor and advised people against consuming alcohol in the eastern districts of Mon, Tuensang, Mokokchung, Longleng, Kiphire, Shamator and Noklak. He also requested residents in other parts of the state to abstain.
Deaths Linked To Liquor
In a statement released on Sunday evening, Nagaland Police said all the fatalities had a direct or indirect circumstantial linkage with alcohol consumption and were being investigated. One person, reportedly a family member of the seller, died by hanging and the death is being investigated as a case of suicide, as reported by The New Indian Express.
“On September 12, Tuensang Police received reports of a pattern of deaths of people admitted to Tuensang Civil Hospital. Preliminary enquiries revealed that in most of the cases, the deceased had reportedly consumed liquor prior to developing symptoms such as blurring of vision, severe headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting,” the Nagaland Police statement said.
Probe, Medical Tests Under Way
Tuensang Police are investigating how the deaths occured and trying to identify where the liquor came from and what it contained. More scientific and medical tests are being done with help from concerned agencies, the statement said.
Nagaland’s 1989 prohibition law bans making, selling, possessing and drinking liquor. It also forbids keeping denatured spirit or any equipment used to brew liquor, and bars liquor ads in newspapers and periodicals.
The law was brought in to tackle alcohol abuse and its social, moral and health fallout. Even so, IMFL is said to be available illegally across the state despite bans and raids.