Guwahati, February 22: As many as 17 people have died allegedly after consuming illicit liquor in Assam's Golaghat. Reports inform that the incident took place on Thursday night at Salmira tea estate in Golaghat. Dr Dileep Rajvanshi,  a doctor at the government hospital confirmed the incident and said that the initial diagnosis suggests alcohol poisoning. Rajvanshi further added saying that four people were brought dead on Thursday night and added that as many as 12 other people were killed later in the night.

Golaghat Additional Deputy Commissioner Dhiraj said the Golaghat Civil Hospital has so far got 12 bodies. He said they have referred 27 others to the Jorhat Medical College for better treatment and condition of some is critical. He said apart from the 12 dead, there are reports of death of people from adjoining areas of the tea estate. Hooch Tragedy in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand: Spurious Liquor Kills Over Two Dozen People.

Meanwhile, Deputy superintendent of police Partha Protim Saikia was quoted in a HT report saying that said the incident happened at Halmira Tea Estate. The sale and consumption of illicit liquor are rampant in rural districts across the country. According to a report by IANS, locals said several people consumed liquor in the estate from a particular seller on Thursday and took ill immediately. As per 2018, Assam had about 1,448 licensed wine shops selling foreign liquor across the state and the average daily sale is approximately 39,085 liters.

Earlier this month, nearly 97 were killed in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand hooch tragedy. A total of 215 people were arrested in a sweeping police crackdown on illicit liquor in Uttar Pradesh, reports said. Facing widespread criticism over a hooch tragedy, the Uttarakhand government announced a house committee would probe the incident and it would also enact a stringent law against spurious liquor. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said the government would bring a bill to curb spurious liquor.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 22, 2019 02:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).