KOHIMA: The suspected deaths of at least nine people in Tuensang district after allegedly consuming spurious liquor have once again brought Nagaland’s long-running liquor prohibition policy under intense public scrutiny.
The deaths were reported at the Civil Hospital in Tuensang over a period of three days. Police have linked the cases circumstantially to alcohol consumption, while an investigation is underway to establish the exact cause of death. Reports have identified the suspected liquor as “MC Rum.”
Following the deaths, Nagaland Director General of Police Rupin Sharma issued a warning urging people to refrain from consuming liquor, particularly in Tuensang, Mon, Mokokchung, Longleng, Kiphire, Shamator and Noklak districts. Authorities have also seized suspected illicit liquor as part of the investigation.
The incident has revived questions over the effectiveness of the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act, 1989, which was enacted with the objective of reducing alcohol abuse and its associated social and health problems. The Act remains part of Nagaland’s legal framework.
Prohibition and growth of illicit liquor
While the NLTP Act prohibits the manufacture, possession, sale and consumption of liquor, enforcement has remained a major challenge. The state government has previously acknowledged that prohibition has contributed to the growth of a black market and the circulation of spurious and inferior-quality liquor.
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, while speaking in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly in 2024 on the health hazards of spurious liquor, said the prohibition policy had not achieved its intended objectives after more than three decades. He pointed to the rise of black-market supply networks, bootlegging and inferior-quality liquor as unintended consequences.
The Chief Minister also noted that unregulated alcohol can pose serious health risks, including poisoning and death, and argued that regulation could allow authorities to impose quality controls on alcoholic products.
Several legislators have similarly called for a review of the NLTP Act. During Assembly discussions, Minister Temjen Imna Along said the prolonged prohibition had contributed to the growth of bootleggers and the widespread availability of spurious liquor, calling for a collective discussion on what would be best for the people of Nagaland.
Government faces a difficult policy choice
The issue presents Nagaland with a difficult policy dilemma: whether to continue with blanket prohibition or move towards a regulated system designed to control quality, availability and consumption.
The Excise and Prohibition Department recently reported that illicit liquor remains a persistent challenge, citing porous borders, manpower shortages and demand-driven illegal liquor markets. The department reported ₹22.51 crore in excise revenue between April 2021 and March 2026, despite the state’s prohibition framework.
The latest deaths in Tuensang have therefore reopened an old but increasingly urgent question: does prohibition protect public health when alcohol continues to circulate through an unregulated underground market?
For Nagaland, the immediate priority remains determining what substance caused the deaths, identifying those responsible for supplying the suspected liquor and preventing further casualties. But the tragedy is also likely to intensify the wider debate over whether the NLTP Act, after more than three decades, requires fundamental reform.