Nine Die in Tuensang After Suspected Spurious Liquor, Nagaland Police Issue Red Alert

At least nine people have died at the Civil Hospital in Tuensang, with authorities suspecting the deaths were caused by spurious liquor. The incident has triggered a red alert across Nagaland, issued by Director General of Police Rupin Sharma on Sunday.

Sharma said alarming information was emerging from Tuensang district and confirmed that an investigation into the deaths is underway. In an advisory, he asked people to refrain from consuming liquor, particularly in Mon, Mokokchung, Tuensang, Longleng, Kiphire, Shamator and Noklak districts. He also appealed to residents of other districts to abstain until the situation becomes clearer.

The tragedy has renewed attention on the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act, 1989, which came into force in 1990. The law was enacted amid strong demand from the church and civil society groups, with the aim of driving social change and reducing domestic violence and alcohol-related crime. It was initially viewed as a moral success, empowering village councils and women's groups to curb public nuisance in line with the Christian values of Naga society.

After 35 years of enforcement, however, the Act is widely seen as having fallen short of its objectives — a view acknowledged in the State Assembly itself. During a discussion on the health hazards of spurious liquor in the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly, Advisor for Excise Moatoshi Longkumer told the House that hundreds of illegal liquor outlets operate under the guise of cold drink and pan shops in Dimapur and Kohima alone. A survey identified more than 500 such outlets across Kohima's 19 wards.

An Excise Department report placed before the Assembly flagged serious consequences. In the absence of quality control, spurious, adulterated and inferior liquor floods the market, contributing to early deaths among young people. Exploiting Nagaland's porous border with Assam, liquor mafias and criminal syndicates have established bases in border towns such as Lahorijan, whose economy depends on supplying the state.

With liquor driven underground and prices rising, many young people have turned to cheaper but more dangerous substitutes such as drugs and narcotics. The state also loses hundreds of crores in excise revenue each year, while the tourism and hospitality sectors suffer. Enforcement remains weak, hampered by limited manpower and outdated resources.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has said in the Assembly that the government can regulate and restrict the sale and flow of liquor but cannot outrightly stop individuals from drinking, which he described as a matter of personal choice, adding that supply will follow as long as demand exists.

Several organisations, including the Association of Kohima Municipal Wards Council, have demanded that the prohibition law be scrapped in its current form and replaced with a tightly regulated licensing system. Their proposals include district-wise caps, ward veto powers, bans near schools and religious places, age verification, restricted sale hours and higher excise duty earmarked for de-addiction and rehabilitation.