Aligarh: Fifteen persons reportedly died on Friday and at least 16 more were taken ill after allegedly consuming bogus liquor sold by a licensed vendor in Aligarh, a senior official said. The authorities have ordered a magisterial probe into the incident and suspended five excise officials, while four persons, including the liquor vend owner, have been arrested.

The inquiry will be conducted by an additional district magistrate-rank officer, DM Chandra Bhushan Singh said. The administration is likely to invoke the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against those found guilty, he said.

Confirming the deaths, the DM said information about other people who had consumed liquor bought from the same vendor is trickling in. Some of those taken ill were rushed to the district hospital, from where they were shifted to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital at Aligarh Muslim University.    

Meanwhile, Additional Chief Secretary (Excise) Sanjay Bhoosreddy said District Excise Officer Dheeraj Sharma; Excise Inspectors Rajesh Kumar Yadav and  Chandraprakash Yadav; Head Constable Ashok Kumar; and Constable Ram Raj Rana have been suspended with immediate effect.

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