Manipur Police Busted Spurious Liquor factory in Thoubal

Guwahati: The Manipur police have busted a factory which produces spurious liquor in Manipur's Thoubal district and arrested a woman involved in the illegal liquor racket.

The Manipur police has raided in many shops in Thoubal district and seized over 1600 bottles of spurious Old Monk rum, some empty liquor bottles. Superintendent of Police S Ibomcha said that one Rosy Changamayum has been arrested during the raid.

An FIR was registered and the seized materials have been handed over to the Food Safety Standard and Enforcement Wing for identification.

The raid has been carried out after some persons had died recently after consuming spurious liquor. Although there have been reports of making Indian made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), this is the first time that an illegal factory was busted and the accused has been arrested.

The Manipur Government in 1990 had declared the state as dry while the outlawed Revolutionary Peoples' Front had imposed total prohibition in Manipur from January 1, 1991.

From then onwards, 64 liquor shops and three bonded warehouses were closed and the roadside shop owners who continued to sell liquor were punished by the insurgents usually being shot in the knee.

Recently in Assam also, hooch tragedy in Upper Assam has taken lives of more than 150 people.

The tragedy has caused widespread repercussions across the State forcing the government to take actions against the brewing and sale of illegal local liquor across the State. Excise Minister Parimal Suklabaidya who visited Golaghat district to take stock of the health condition of those undergoing treatment, had to face angry mobs outside the hospital and streets. Many people shouted slogans against the government’s failure to prevent such a man-made disaster.

The tragedy occurred after a large number of people consumed the spurious liquor at the Salmora tea estate in Golaghat, 300 km from Guwahati, and at two remote villages in Titabor sub-division of Jorhat district.

After the incident took place, the excise department has also carried out drives against illegal liquor sale in many districts of Assam and seized huge number of spurious liquor and destroyed it.

Many organizations have also demanded detail investigation of the tragedy which claims so many lives after consumption of liquor.

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