Patna, Jan 15 (IANS): At least seven persons in Bihar's Nalanda district have died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor following which the authorities have initiated an action, officials said on Saturday.

Nalanda District Magistrate Shashank Shubhankar has said a "combing operation" has started in the area around the Chhoti Pahari locality.

Shubhankar said he and district Superintendent of Police, Ashok Mishra will lead the combing operation to check and find if any liquor manufacturing units are functioning in the region.

Both Shubhankar and Mishra visited the Chhoti Pahari area on Saturday.

"We have taken the statement of the victims' family members. Two of them have claimed that they were having other diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure etc. One of the victims' family claimed that the deceased individual often consumed liquor," Shubhankar said.

"We have sent the bodies for post-mortem to ascertain the cause of the death," Shubhankar said.

Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased individuals claimed that the deaths have happened due to the consumption of "poisonous liquor".

Reacting to the deaths, Prem Ranjan Patel, the spokesperson of the BJP Bihar unit, said: "We have a long-standing demand to review the decision of liquor ban in the state. Liquor is not banned in Bihar. It is available everywhere as the liquor mafias are involved in this... and are supported by the officials in the police and excise department. They are responsible for the failure of liquor ban in Bihar.

"The police and excise department only arrest poor people while the actual mafias are beyond the reach of enforcement agencies," he said.