Spurious liquor kills six

Six persons died and 17 others fell ill after consuming suspected spurious liquor at a village in Varanasi districts Cantonment area on Wednesday.

Six district excise department employees including the inspector and three policemen were suspended for alleged dereliction of duty. The in-charge of the local police outpost is also in the suspended list.

While a case has been registered against six local vendors who sell illicit liquor,two among them Raj Kumar and Ambu Devi have been arrested. Brij Lal,ADG (Law and Order),said around 30 members of a family,who had gathered to mourn the death of one Kamla Devi at Soyepur village,consumed country-made liquor on Tuesday night. While 23 of them fell ill,six of them died on Wednesday morning.

Varanasi SP (City) Vijay Bhushan said the police came to know about the matter when the family members were taking three bodies for cremation.

The police reached the village and rushed 20 others to the hospital where three more were declared dead on arrival. The condition of others is stated to be critical,he added.

The relatives claimed to have purchased the liquor from local vendors Raj Kumar and Ambu Devi. While they were arrested,the four others mentioned in the case are absconding,said Bhushan.

Additional Excise Commissioner Shamim Ahmed Khan said primary investigation has revealed that the illicit liquor was brought from Jharkhand. The remains of the liquor have been sent for laboratory test.

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A team led by Joint Excise Commissioner Ajay Kumar Chaturvedi has been sent to Varanasi to look into the matter, he added.

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