Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s stand that no compensation would be paid to the kin of hooch victims triggered uproar in the Assembly on Monday, with BJP legislators launching vociferous protests and staging walkouts.

The development came against the backdrop of over 75 hooch deaths in Saran, Siwan and Begusarai districts last week.

In Saran alone, 70 people died and over 20 went blind after drinking illicit liquor.

Earlier, BJP Rajya Sabha member and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi visited the families of the hooch victims in Saran.

Asserting that the death toll in Saran has crossed 100, Sushil said the police had unleashed terror in the area and got several bodies cremated without post-mortem. He added that several people could not be saved for lack of proper medical facilities at Chhapra Sadar Hospital and Mashrakh primary health centre.

“Section 42 of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 has provisions of compensation of Rs 4 lakh for people dying due to liquor consumption and Rs 2 lakh for those who have been grievously hurt due to it. The government had given Rs 4 lakh compensation to the next of kin of the deceased in Gopalganj hooch tragedy case that happened in 2016, after the liquor ban in the state,” Sushil said.

The BJP leaders also circulated a list issued by the Gopalganj collectorate showing that Rs 4 lakh was given as compensation to the families of the 16 deceased in the hooch case.

Nitish responded to this, telling reporters: “Section 42 of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 has provisions for compensation, but it has to be provided by monetising the assets seized from the liquor mafia.”

“The Gopalganj district magistrate provided compensation to the family members of the hooch victims in anticipation of realising the money by auctioning the assets seized from the hooch tragedy culprits. However, the high court later stayed the auction process,” Nitish clarified.

Ruling Grand Alliance partner CPI-ML also demonstrated at the Assembly and later in the city to demand Rs 10 lakh compensation to the dependents of the hooch victims. Its legislature party leader Mehboob Alam led a delegation and submitted a memorandum to chief minister Nitish Kumar demanding the compensation, a high-level probe into political and administrative patronage to the liquor mafia, and a check on the atrocities by the police on the Dalits and the poor in the name of liquor ban.

Another ally, Congress, constituted a five-member committee to probe the Saran hooch deaths. Nitish said the state government would conduct yet another survey to find out the positive impact of the liquor ban on society. An earlier survey had shown beneficial socio-economic results of the prohibition on families. Nitish also fielded excise, prohibition and registration minister Sunil Kumar to address a press conference outside the Assembly. The state government figures on the Saran hooch death toll remained pegged at 38.

The prohibition minister said that hooch deaths in Bihar have been less than other states this year.

“Karnataka, Punjab, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh surpass Bihar in hooch deaths. Madhya Pradesh, where there is no liquor ban, has witnessed over 1200 deaths this year. Over 700 people have died of hooch in Karnataka. There have been hundreds of deaths in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand this year. The Opposition and the media persons should understand that prohibition has no relation with hooch deaths,” Sunil added.