Police inspector dies after consuming adulterated 'bhang'

Mehsana (Guj), March 10: A police inspector died on Thursday, March 10 after allegedly consuming adulterated 'bhang' on the occasion of 'Mahashivratri' festival at Budasan village in the district. Inspector R R Patel, attached to Kadi Police Station in the village, fell ill after consuming 'bhang' brought there by a villager as 'prasad', police sources said.

He died early this morning at a private hospital in Ahmedabad, police said. Three persons died yesterday and 337 others have been hospitalised after they consumed adulterated 'bhang', that was distributed at a Shiva temple in the village.

"As per our records, Patel had not gone to Budasan village that day. What led to his death is a matter of investigation. We will also probe reports that someone came to the police station to give him that 'bhang' as 'prasad' from the temple," Mehsana Superintendent of Police Chaitanya Mandlik said.

"The Inspector was also suffering from diabetes and was recently operated for mouth cancer. The picture will be clear after autopsy report is out," Mandlik said, adding the body has been sent for post-mortem.

Mehsana Collector Lochan Sehra said yesterday that over 2,000 people had consumed 'bhang' concoction and out of them, 337 showed symptoms of food poisoning and were admitted to different hospitals.

Samples of the 'bhang' have been sent to government laboratory for testing, he had said.

PTI