Spurious liquor kills 19 in Nagaland; SIT formed, 19 arrested

At least 19 people have died across Nagaland's Mokokchung and Tuensang districts over the past two days after allegedly consuming suspected spurious liquor, police said on Saturday.

Eight of the deaths were reported in Mokokchung district, while 11 were recorded in Tuensang, officials said.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Additional Superintendent of Police I Bunglang Chang, has been constituted 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 determine the cause of the deaths. "We have obtained some leads, but it is too premature to disclose details," Kezo said.

Police have carried out multiple raids in connection with the case, arresting 19 people and seizing nearly 3,000 bottles of liquor.

Nagaland has had a prohibition law in place since 1990.

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