Four die after consuming liquor in Kanpur

KANPUR: After Sachendi area of Kanpur, wherein five people died after consuming spurious liquor on Saturday, four more people died after allegedly consuming poisonous liquor in Madhauli village under the limits of Rura police station in neighbouring Kanpur Dehat district on Sunday.
The incident came to light when the condition of Shyamu (40), Chunna Kushwaha (28), Hari Mishra (50), all residents of Madhauli village and one Narebadra Singh (40) of neighbouring Baletha village, deteriorated and they died during the treatment at Lala Lajpat Rai hospital in Kanpur, district magistrate Rakesh Singh said.
DM said that according to the family members of the victims, all of them had consumed liquor on Saturday purchased from a government country-made liquor shop in the Madhauli village.
No one has been arrested though the district officials have seized the country-made liquor shop belonging to one Satish Mishra, a native of Bairi Shivli area of the district. Searches are underway to make the arrest of Mishra as well as the salesman of the outlet possible. Soon after the death of four men, the local residents assembled at liquor outlet and created ruckus and demanded necessary compensation to the victims family members, besides immediate arrest of owner and salesman of liquor shop. They also refused to handover the bodies of the victims to the police for autopsy. It was when senior district and police officials intervened and assured them of prompt and strict action, they only allowed the police personnel to shift bodies to mortuary for postmortem examination.
Gyanu, whose relative also died after consuming liquor, said, "Illegal liquor is sold openly from government country-made liquor outlet in the village. The Excise department and local police know about it but do nothing. They take bribes from the owners and allow them to function. It's only the poor people who die."
Sources also informed that the salesman of the liquor shop had burnt the liquor stock in order to eliminate the evidences. Investigations were in progress.
At least nine people died after consuming toxic liquor in the region since Saturday. Many are being treated in hospitals, and the death toll could rise further.
To recall here, five persons including a retired sub-inspector of police died and more than a dozen other fell seriously ill after allegedly consuming spurious liquor purchased from a registered country-made liquor shop at village Dulgaon under the limits of Sachendi police station in the district on Saturday morning.
Police had identified the deceased as Rajendra Kamal, Umesh Shukla, Ratnesh Shukla, Jagjivan Ram and Umesh Chandra.