Raids against illicit liquor launched by Excise Department in Cachar

February 25: With the number of deceased reaching 143, the death toll in hooch tragedy which started on Thursday night seems to be unending. Meanwhile, the excise minister Parimal Suklabaidya has ordered suspension of all the excise officials of the two districts of Golaghat and Jorhat. The minister also held a high level review meeting at the Golaghat circuit house with the officers of excise department of both Golaghat and Jorhat districts in presence of Additional Chief Secretary Jishnu Baruah and Deputy Commissioner of Golaghat Dhiren Hazarika.

Meanwhile, on the orders of State Excise Ministry, the Cachar Excise Department has also adopted stern measures against manufacture, sale and consumption of spurious liquor in the district. Sunil Sinha, Superintendent of the Excise Department Cachar too ordered raids after getting orders from Laya Madduri, Deputy Commissioner, Cachar. Since February 22, the department has conducted eight raids in major suspected areas including Rampur in Kathal Tea Garden, Meherpur, Tapaban Nagar, Chengkhuri, Janata Bazar, Lailapur, Sadagram, Shantipur areas of Dholai constituency, Lalang Tea Garden and Jaroiltala in Borkhola constituency.

 The Cachar district administration has intensified steps to conduct raids at specif locations to nab people associated with illicit liquor trade. As per Excise officials, 31 cases have been registered till 24 February. So far, 22 persons were arrested in connection with manufacture and sale of illicit liquor.

Superintendent Sinha further informed that in the raids conducted by his team, 100liters of Illicit Distilled liquor have been seized and sizeable quantity of fermented wash which have caused the deaths have been destroyed at some places. He further informed that seven distilling apparatus were recovered from some places and Indian Made Foreign Liquor measuring 17.64 liters have also been seized and destroyed.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of those who died after consuming spurious liquor and Rs 50,000 each to those who are undergoing treatment. Police said that bootleggers often add methanol – a highly toxic form of alcohol sometimes used as an anti-freeze – to their mixture to increase its strength. Methanol can cause blindness, liver damage and death.