Kohima: At least 19 people have died in Nagaland over the past two days after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in two separate incidents reported from Mokokchung and Tuensang districts, police said on Saturday. The deaths have triggered alarm in the state where the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act, 1989 has been in force since 1990. According to police, eight deaths were reported from Mokokchung district while 11 deaths were reported from Tuensang district following consumption of suspected illicit liquor. Several others are reportedly undergoing treatment in district hospitals and their condition is stated to be critical.
Senior Superintendent of Police Vesupra Kezo said on Saturday that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to investigate the deaths and to trace the source and supply chain of the suspected adulterated liquor. The SIT will be headed by Additional Superintendent of Police I Bunglang Chang and will include officers from the crime branch, forensic experts and excise department officials. The team has been tasked with conducting a thorough inquiry into the procurement, transportation and distribution network of the illicit liquor that led to the tragedy. Police said preliminary inquiry suggests the liquor may have been adulterated with methanol, which is highly toxic and often responsible for hooch tragedies.
Police have sent samples of the suspected liquor, along with viscera samples of the deceased, to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Guwahati for detailed chemical examination to ascertain the exact cause of the deaths. “We have obtained some leads, but it is too premature to disclose details at this stage as investigation is ongoing,” Kezo told reporters in Mokokchung. He said the police are examining the role of inter-district smuggling and possible cross-border supply from neighbouring Assam where liquor is legally available. The SIT has been directed to submit its preliminary report within a week.
Following the deaths, Nagaland Police launched massive crackdown and conducted multiple raids across Mokokchung and Tuensang districts on Friday night and Saturday morning. During the operations, police arrested 19 persons suspected to be involved in sale and distribution of illicit liquor and seized close to 3,000 bottles of liquor of different brands, including country-made and Indian Made Foreign Liquor. The raids were carried out in market areas, private residences and makeshift storage godowns where liquor was allegedly being stocked illegally. Police said the seized liquor stock will also be sent for forensic testing and further legal action will be taken under the NLTP Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
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The Mokokchung district administration has confirmed that all eight victims in Mokokchung consumed liquor on Thursday evening after purchasing it from a local bootlegger. They developed symptoms such as vomiting, dizziness, blurred vision and breathing difficulty within a few hours and were rushed to Dr. Imkongliba Memorial District Hospital where they died during treatment. In Tuensang, the pattern was similar with victims complaining of severe stomach pain and loss of vision after consuming alcohol during a gathering. Families of the deceased said the liquor was sold in unlabelled plastic bottles at a high price due to prohibition.
The incident has once again brought into focus the failure of prohibition enforcement in Nagaland. Despite the total prohibition law being in force for over three decades, illicit liquor sale and consumption is widespread in the state, especially in urban and semi-urban areas. Civil society organisations and church bodies have repeatedly expressed concern over the easy availability of adulterated liquor and the risks it poses to public health. The Nagaland Baptist Church Council had in the past called for stricter enforcement and awareness drives to prevent such tragedies. Opposition parties have demanded accountability from the excise department and police for failing to curb the illegal trade.
Meanwhile, the Nagaland government has announced ex-gratia assistance to the families of the deceased and free medical treatment for those undergoing treatment. Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio expressed condolences to the bereaved families and said the government has taken serious note of the incident. He directed the Home Department and the Excise Department to strengthen enforcement and to identify loopholes in the implementation of the prohibition law. Health officials have been asked to remain on alert and to keep adequate stock of antidotes and emergency medicines in district hospitals in case more cases are reported.
Police have issued a public advisory urging people to refrain from consuming unidentified, unlabelled or suspected illicit liquor from unknown sources. They also appealed to anyone who develops symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, breathing difficulties, severe headache or loss of consciousness after consuming alcohol to seek immediate medical care and to inform police. The advisory said early medical intervention can save lives in cases of methanol poisoning. The police have also released helpline numbers for Mokokchung and Tuensang for reporting illegal liquor sale.
In recent years, Nagaland has witnessed sporadic incidents of hooch deaths despite prohibition, but the current toll of 19 deaths in two days is one of the highest in recent memory. Similar tragedies have been reported from other prohibition states like Bihar and Gujarat where bootleggers adulterate liquor with industrial spirit to increase potency and profit. Experts say the high demand for liquor coupled with prohibition creates a black market where quality control is absent, making consumers vulnerable to toxic adulteration. The formation of the SIT is expected to bring out the full supply chain and those responsible for manufacturing and distribution. Further arrests are likely as investigation progresses.
