Latest News | Cong Demands Mizoram Minister's Resignation over Woman's Death

Aizawl, Jul 13 (PTI) The Mizoram Congress has demanded Excise Minister K Beichhua's resignation over a woman vendor's death after she had allegedly lost her livelihood as the government seized substantial quantities of locally-processed bottled grape wines from her shop.

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The Congress said officials of the excise department raided some shops at the Millennium Centre, the state's largest shopping mall located at the heart of Aizawl, and seized huge quantities of grape wine bottles on May 27.

Bottled grape wine worth around Rs 22 lakh were seized from the shop of Lalhriatpuii. The store was the 52-year-old's main source of income, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Congress alleged that the woman suffered severe depression after the seizure, leading to her death on Monday. It accused Beichhua of being responsible for the woman's demise, demanding that he step down as minister on moral grounds.

Beichhua and other officials of the excise department could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. He had earlier told PTI that the excise officials had to seize the grape wine bottles as they were found among illicit alcohol.

Apart from branded or locally-brewed liquor, grape wine or any liquid containing alcohol are prohibited under the Mizo Liquor Prohibition Act, 2019, the minister had said.

The seizure of locally-made grape wines by government officials in May had sparked outrage, with a grape growers' society threatening the government to launch an agitation.

One of Lalhriatpuii's younger sisters said the woman had recently accompanied her friends on a recreational tour to a south Asian country.

After returning from abroad, Lalhriatpuii suddenly suffered a stroke while holding at Guwahati and was immediately rushed to a hospital there. She succumbed to her illness while being brought to Aizawl, her sister said.

A relative of Lalhriatpuii said they were not sure about her death being linked to the seizure of grape wines. He said the woman had already undergone surgery due to thyroid in the past, due to which she used to develop medical problems occasionally.

Lalhriatpuii, however, experienced stress and anxiety soon after the seizure of grape wine from her shop. She had also suffered from insomnia after the incident, according to the relative.

"We can't directly link her death to the recent incident. The almighty has set a timeframe for every individual's life span and we believe that it was God's will to take her away from us," the relative, who refused to be named, told PTI.

The Congress asked the government to give an ex gratia of Rs 1 crore to the relatives of the woman by Wednesday, warning of stringent measures if it fails to do so.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)