Patna, Oct 17 ( UNI) The death toll in the alleged hooch tragedy increased to 24 on Thursday in Bihar. As per the reports pouring in here, 20 people died reportedly after consuming the alleged spurious liquor in Siwan district and four deaths have so far been reported in the hooch tragedy in Saran district. An official report from Siwan quoting District Public Relations Officer (DPRO) Kanhaiya Kumar said that 20 people died under mysterious circumstances in Maghar and Kaudiya Panchayat of Bhagwanpurhat block. According to DPRO of Saran Ravindra Kumar, 4 people died allegedly after consuming spurious liquor. The DPRO of Siwan said 63 people were admitted to Siwan Sadar Hospital and Basantpur Primary Health Centre of which 13 were sent to the Patna Medical College Hospital in serious condition. He said that the bodies of 20 people were handed over to their relatives after the postmortem. The District Magistrate of Siwan Mukul Kumar Gupta said that a medical board comprising 5 senior doctors has been constituted to look into the situation. He said that 30 beds in Siwan Sadar Hospital, 20 in Basantpur Health Centre and 30 in the Sub-Divisional Hospital Maharajganj have been kept on standby. Senior administrative officers have also been deployed at all Hospitals to provide immediate treatment to the affected people. The Sadar Hospital and Basantpur Health Centre have been put on 24-hour alert mode. Additional ambulances have also been arranged in the affected panchayats, the report informed. Gupta said that ANM, Asha workers, Anganwadi sahayika- sevikas, Jivika didis, Vikas Mitras and all panchayat level workers have been directed to conduct door-to-door visits to identify the people with serious symptoms and send them to the Hospitals for treatment. All such activities would be monitored by the senior administrative officers, he informed. The DM said that Additional Collector Siwan, Sub Divisional Officer and Sub Divisional Police Officers were camping in the affected areas. Earlier, the Police Superintendent of Siwan Amitesh Kumar had constituted SIT to investigate the matter. He had also suspended the officer in charge and two Chowckidars of Bhagwanpur police station. The DM said that action would be initiated after getting the enquiry report. The SIT which began a massive Manhunt in collaboration with local police of both Sahara and Siwan district arrested 10 people in this connection. An FIR was also lodged at the concerned police station. The relatives of the deceased and those taken ill divulged that the victims had consumed liquor and after a short while they were taken ill. Meanwhile, Bihar Excise Minister Ratnesh Sada, expressing deep sorrow over the death in the hooch tragedy categorically stated that the liquor mafia and those indulged in such activities would never be spared at any cost and announced to impose CCA against such people. Sada said he would personally talk to the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the issue. The Minister claimed that the liquor ban has benefited Bihar in many ways and asserted that the ban would be successful only when the liquor mafias were suppressed in the society for which he stressed the need to be aware of the people. While talking to the news persons Sada said that the Excise Superintendent and other officers of the Excise Department were camping at the spot of the alleged hooch tragedy in Siwan and Saran districts. Meanwhile, the leader of opposition in the state Assembly Tejaswi Prasad Yadav alleged that liquor was available in common places due to the flourishing nexus of leader-police-liquor mafia in the dry state, of Bihar. He alleged that 27 people were butchered in Saran and Siwan districts in the hooch tragedy. Some of the victims lost their eyesight in the tragedy, but Chief Minister Nitish Kumar did not utter even a word of sympathy for the victims, he alleged The RJD leader alleged that death in hooch tragedy was common in Bihar but no action was being initiated against any of the senior officers...////...