Making a U-turn on paying compensation to the victims of hooch tragedies in dry Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday announced conditional payment of an ex- gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of those who died after drinking spurious liquor since 2016 when the prohibition policy was launched.
The total number of deaths due to spurious alcohol in these seven-odd years is not immediately known, though the Opposition BJP claimed it must be in hundreds.
The chief minister’s statement came on a day when the death toll at Motihari in East Champaran district rose to 26, with four more people losing their lives after consuming illicit liquor.
He announced that the ex gratia would be paid to the next of kin of each person who died in different hooch incidents in the state since 2016, if the families follow certain conditions.
“We have decided to provide ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. But, the amount will only be given if their family members say in writing to the district magistrate concerned that the death took place after consuming illicit liquor. They will have to disclose the source from where the alcohol was procured, too,” Nitish told reporters.
He also said the family members will have to declare that they would encourage people to quit drinking liquor and support the prohibition law of the state government.
This is a reversal of his earlier stand that the family members of those who died after drinking hooch would be paid no compensation by his government.
After 26 people died in a hooch tragedy in December 2022, the chief minister had said “Jo piyega woh marega” (those who drink spurious alcohol will die), drawing flak from opposition parties and various other quarters.
However, Nitish changed his stance this time saying: “I am deeply pained at what happened in Motihari… I know that the majority of people who die in such incidents belong to the economically weaker sections… Despite our best attempts, hooch incidents are taking place in the state and people are dying after consuming spurious liquor.”
