NEW DELHI, Feb 22 (NNN-Xinhua) — At least 14 people including eight women were killed and 13 others taken ill after consuming spurious liquor in India’s northeastern state of Assam, police said Friday.
The hooch was consumed by people on Thursday evening at Halmira tea estate in Golaghat district, about 275 km east of Dispur, the capital city of Assam.
“Last night, 27 people were admitted at a local hospital here after consuming country made liquor. Out of them so far 14 people have died and remaining 13 others are under medical supervision,” a senior police official, Partha Pratim Saikia, told Xinhua over telephone from Golaghat.
“Apparently it seems the drink was spurious and contaminated.”
According to Saikia, the police have registered a case and collected samples of the liquor.
The deceased include a house owner, from whose house the illicit alcohol was bought by the workers.
Earlier this month, around 100 people died in a hooch tragedy in northern Indian states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Following the deaths, authorities suspended several officials and have started a crackdown on illicit liquor manufacturing units and sales points. — NNN-XINHUA
