Kolkata: Seven persons died and more than 30 were hospitalised on Wednesday after reportedly consuming spurious liquor at Shantipur in West Bengal's Nadia district.
Condition of at least 15 is said to be critical.
Superintendent of the hospital at Shantipur, Dr Jayanta Biswas, said, “Those who consumed the spurious liquor started vomiting. Seven of them including a woman died on their way to hospital." He said methanol poisoning could be the cause of the deaths.
The state government has ordered a CID inquiry into the incident. Details on whether the victims consumed country liquor can be confirmed only after chemical examination, the state's Finance Minister Amit Mitra said.
Eleven excise officials, including the present Shantipur officer-in-charge (excise), his immediate predecessor, the deputy excise collector of Ranaghat range and eight excise constables, have been suspended, he said.
The CID investigations would also be able to throw light on whether the spurious liquor is being smuggled into rural Bengal from Bihar and Jharkhand, Mitra said.
The government has announced Rs 2 lakh as compensation for the family members of those who died in hooch tragedy.
Meanwhile, people took to streets to protest the deaths and ransacked hooch dens in the area. They alleged that a section of influential people are behind the racket and the local police are aware about it.
In December 2011, 172 people lost their lives to spurious liquor in Sangrampur village of South Parganas district.
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