Relatives carry the body of one of the 84 people who died after drinking spurious liquor in and around Mumbai, on Dec. 28. (Photo: AFP)

MUMBAI: A total of 84 people died in this Maharashtra capital and its neighboring areas last week after drinking spurious liquor, forcing the state government to suspend 22 police officials for failing to check the sale of the moonshine.

While 18 people died in Agripada in Central Mumbai, 66 died at Vikhroli in North East Mumbai. The government has announced assistance of Rs. 50,000 ($1,123) for each of the families of the dead.

Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil said here on Dec. 28 that the police officers were suspended on suspicion of colluding with bootleggers in the areas where the tragedy occurred and for dereliction of duty.

Acting on Patil’s orders, enforcement officials raided several places in and around Mumbai and confiscated about 26,000 liters of illicit liquor.

One hundred and twenty four of those who drank the moonshine were still in hospital last week. According to hospital authorities, more people were being brought in from slums here on Dec. 29 with complaints of ill health related to the consumption of spurious liquor.

In all, over 150 people had been admitted to hospitals, with some 40 reporting ill on Dec. 28, officials said.

Though a large number of people fell ill soon after drinking the moonshine, several victims were showing signs of a delayed reaction, police said. Some patients who asked to be discharged from hospital were also coming back after exhibiting symptoms of poisoning.

The police arrested a woman named Asha Kamble for supplying the spurious liquor. Officials said she operated from her hovel just 500 meters from the nearest police station. The Indiranagar shantytown, where the incident took place, is near the Vikhroli railway station in northeast Mumbai.

Initial reports said methyl alcohol was added to fermented oranges, discarded peels and other inputs to accelerate the fermentation process.

Asha’s husband works as a sewage cleaner in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. The police said he had nothing to do with the business.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government on Dec. 29 indicated it planned to lower duties on locally made liquor to wean poor people away from moonshine. State Excise Minister Ganesh Naik said that expensive liquor from authorized distilleries was driving people to bootleggers. “The only solution to stop the trade in spurious liquor and avoid any tragedy in future is to make available country made liquor at affordable prices to the people,” Naik told reporters here.