The toll in the hooch tragedy here rose to 15, with nine more people dying overnight after consuming the spurious liquor.
Twenty others are undergoing treatment in various hospitals in the district after they fell ill on Wednesday, official sources said.
“Nine more people have died at Soyepur village,” DIG D.K. Thakur told PTI.
Six people had died on Wednesday after drinking the illicit brew in Soyepur, Hazipur and Benipur villages.
The Uttar Pradesh government has suspended four Excise Department employees and initiated departmental proceedings against two senior officers.
“Excise Commissioner Sudhir S. Bobade has suspended excise inspector Rajesh Singh and three other employees Dev Prakash Singh, Shiv Prasad Rana and Shashikant Singh on charges of laxity in enforcement work,” an official spokesman said in Lucknow.
Besides, departmental proceedings have been initiated against assistant excise commissioner Sunil Kumar Mishra and assistant excise commissioner (enforcement) Rajesh Kumar Sinha, he said.
Four policemen, including in charge of Lalpur police outpost sub-inspector Ram Narain and three constables have already been suspended.
According to police preliminary investigations have revealed illicit liquor was smuggled from Jharkhand and was being illegally supplied in the area.
The police has lodged a case against six persons and arrested two accused Raj Kumar and Ambu Devi while main culprits Gopal and Bhonu Jaiswal along with two others are still at large.
