Patna, Nov 22 (IANS): After suspected hooch tragedies in Sitamarhi and Gopalganj claimed 10 lives, former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi sharply attacked CM Nitish Kumar and asked him to kill people like General Dyer did in Jalliawalan Bagh in Amritsar during British rule.

While uploading a post on social media X, Manjhi said: “Why are you (Nitish Kumar) distributing death to Dalit people in instalments through spurious liquor. Why don’t you ask people to stand in a queue and kill them like General Dyer did and fan your hatred.”

“If you have failed to stop deaths due to poisonous liquor then what is the relevance of the liquor prohibition act? At least you should learn from Gujarat,” Manjhi said.

Jitan Ram Manjhi had raised his voice against the liquor ban in Bihar in the past also. He claimed that liquor is available everywhere in the state and hooch tragedies are taking place in large numbers. He charged that the administration has penalized mainly the people belonging to the poor and Dalit community in the name of the liquor ban.

On November 17, five persons from three villages under Bajpatti police station in Sitamarhi district died after consuming spurious liquor. The deceased were identified as Vikram Kumar and Ram Babu of Soloman Tola village, Raushan Kumar and Santosh Mahto of Narhar village and Mahesh Yadav of Narhar Kalan village.

Sources said that they consumed spurious liquor at Mahuain village on Thursday evening. Their health started deteriorating on Friday. Their family members admitted them in local hospitals where they died.

On November 19, five persons died due to a suspected hooch tragedy in Gopalganj district. The incident occurred at Bahrampur, Sirsa, Maanpur and Bamo villages under Baikunthpur police station. The deceased were identified as Suresh Ram, Tinku Ram, Rohit Sharma, Jhagdu Rai and Sikandar Shah.