The Bihar government has suspended 25 police officers for negligence after 16 people died from drinking suspected toxic liquor. This is the fourth month since the state introduced prohibition.

The entire staff of a local police station Gopalganj,  Bihar were suspended for “dereliction of duty” amid an inquiry to establish their role in the deaths thought to have been caused by drinking moonshine.

Three more people who were taken ill after drinking the brew on Tuesday died on Thursday, taking the overall death toll to 16. Four others are still in a critical condition.

Gopalganj superintendent of police (SP) Raviranjan Kumar said 14 people were involved either in brewing country liquor or facilitating its availability at Khajurbanni  area in Gopalgunj district.

“All the officers were suspended and we are investigating their role,” Raviranjan Kumar told AFP. Kumar said the policemen had failed to stop bootlegging despite a ban on sale and consumption of alcohol in the state.

Seven alleged bootleggers have been arrested while an equal number are sought by police, he said.

Khajurbanni residents Nagina Choudhary and Lalbabu Choudhary are allegedly responsible for manufacture and sale of liquor in the area. Raids were on at suspected hideouts. Seven of the 14 accused have been arrested and liquor seized, the SP said.

Late in the evening, the SHO (station head officer) was put under suspension. SP Kumar later confirmed the suspension of 25 Town police station cops for dereliction of duty.

The  Gopalganj Sadar sub-divisional officer Mritunjay Kumar and sub-divisional police officer Manoj Kumar, reported to district magistrate Rahul Kumar suggests that the dead had probably imbibed the hooch to ‘celebrate’ on August 15, Independence day!.

Postmortem reports have failed to establish liquor poisoning but investigators say they have enough evidence to proceed against the suspended police.

One of India’s poorest states, Bihar brought in prohibition in April after its chief minister, Nitish Kumar, said he was elected on a pledge to crack down on widespread alcohol abuse.

Bihar is one of a string of Indian states where alcohol is banned, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat.

Reuters says that hundreds of poor people who cannot afford branded liquor die every year in India from drinking cheap and toxic hooch. Last month, 33 people died in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh state after drinking toxic brew.

Bootleggers often add methanol – a highly toxic form of alcohol sometimes used as an anti-freeze or fuel – to their home-brew liquor to increase the alcoholic content. If ingested, it can cause blindness and liver damage and can kill in larger concentrations.

  Bihar, Prohibition