Illegal Liquor Trade: Raids On, 267 Arrested So Far; Opposition Charge Baseless: Minister

Bhubaneswar, Aug 23: Excise Minister Prithviraj Harichandan Friday said the Opposition parties' allegation of hooch deaths is baseless and the State government has not concealed anything about the incident.

A total of 19 people were admitted to hospitals after they consumed spurious liquor and fell ill on August 19. Now six people are undergoing treatment in ICUs and two are with ventilator support, the Minister said.

Two people- Loknath Behera and Juda Behera- died on August 21.

Harichandan said the Excise Department has started a campaign to stop illegal liquor trading in the State. Raids are being conducted across the State.

"In the wake of the Ganjam incident, the department has started a special drive to check illegal liquor trading. From August 20, the sleuths have seized 20,726 liters of illegal liquor. As many as 376 illegal liquor cases have been filed. While 267 people have been arrested, four are on the run.

The Minister also said 26 vehicles have been seized.

The Minister rubbished the Opposition's charge.

Earlier in the day, the Odisha Assembly was adjourned as Opposition BJD and Congress created ruckus in the House over the Ganjam spurious liquor consumption issue.