Uttar Pradesh, March 22: Four people have died and three more have fallen ill after consuming spurious countrymade liquor in Uttar Pradesh’s Chitrakoot.
The victims had consumed countrymade liquor on Saturday, after which they fell sick.
“A person of Khopa village died after consuming liquor on Saturday evening, while another died at a private hospital,” Inspector-General of Police, Chitrakoot Dham (range), K Satya Narayan said.
Four people, who were in serious condition, were referred to Allahabad for treatment, but two of them died on the way. “Till now four people have died,” the IG said.
Two people are now undergoing treatment in Allahabad and a former village pradhan has also been hospitalized.
“There is no liquor sale outlet in the village, and the booze was brought from a shop located almost 15 kilometres away, the IG said, adding the person who sold the liquor has been taken into custody and was being interrogated,” IG Narayan said.
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Following the incident, a sub-inspector and a constable have been suspended on charges of laxity. Meanwhile, action has been initiated against the station house officer of Rajapur.
The excise department suspended four officials including the district excise officer.
“District excise officer of Chitrakoot Chatar Sen, excise inspector Ashraf Ali Siddiqui, a head constable of excise department Sushil Kumar Pandey and constable of excise department Sandeep Kumar Mishra have been suspended on charges of laxity,” the Excise department in Lucknow, Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay R Bhoosreddy, in a statement said.
