19 dead in hooch poisoning incident in Nagaland; investigation underway

At least 19 people have died in Nagaland's Mokokchung and Tuensang districts over the past two days after allegedly consuming suspected spurious liquor, police said. Eight deaths were reported in Mokokchung district and 11 in Tuensang. Nagaland has been a dry state for over three decades, with a prohibition law in place since 1990.

Police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Additional Superintendent of Police I Bunglang Chang, to investigate the deaths and trace the source and supply chain of the suspected adulterated liquor, Senior Superintendent of Police Vesupra Kezo said. Samples have been sent to Guwahati for forensic examination to ascertain the cause of the deaths. "We have obtained some leads, but it is too premature to disclose details," Kezo said. Following the deaths, police conducted multiple raids, arrested 19 people and seized nearly 3,000 bottles of liquor.

Police have advised people against consuming unidentified, unlabelled or suspected illicit liquor and urged anyone experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, breathing difficulties or loss of consciousness after consuming alcohol to seek immediate medical attention.