Barabanki Hooch Tragedy: 16 dead, three arrested; Uttar Pradesh govt announces 2 lakh compensation

Lucknow: Following the unfortunate death of 16 people due to consumption of spurious liquor, Uttar Pradesh police have arrested three people while the state government has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the deceased. The police have arrested three people including the salesman of the country-made liquor shop from where the affected people had purchased liquor. Search for the owner is still on. Police are also conducting raids at several places to seize the stock of liquor brands which were allegedly consumed by the victims. The state government has also formed a three-member committee headed by Uttar Pradesh Excise Commissioner to probe the incident. The committee has been asked to submit its report to the government within 48 hours. On the orders of the administration, District Excise Officer, Excise Inspector, Ramnagar Circle Officer, and Station House Officer have been suspended with immediate effect. Among the deceased are also four members of the same family. Most of the affected individuals hail from Raniganj village in the Ramnagar region of Barabanki district. The matter came to light after Lekhpal Sadar Badel claimed that he got information about eight people having died in Ramnagar after consuming illicit liquor. The people in Raniganj and adjoining villages were rushed to Ramnagar Community Health Centre (CHC) from where most of them were referred to Lucknow’s Trauma Centre.