The Provisional Government of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN/GPRN) on Friday expressed condolences over the deaths of 20 people in Nagaland who reportedly consumed suspected spurious liquor, and called for accountability.

In a statement on October 2 and issued from Oking, Mt. Horeb, the group said eleven people died in Tuensang district and nine in Mokokchung district. It wished a "swift and full recovery" to those still hospitalised. 

The group alleged that "certain elements" had exploited the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act of 1989 by selling adulterated liquor, and described the deaths as deliberate rather than accidental.

It said "serious investigations are underway" and that anyone found guilty, and any network involved, would be held accountable.

The release also criticised other bodies. It called on the Nagaland Baptist Churches Council (NBCC), which it said has strongly advocated prohibition, to speak out, adding that it was not condemning the council. It said Naga civil society should also act, and that the state government's inaction "cannot and will not be accepted." It described indifference as “complicity.”

The group urged citizens to remain vigilant and to cooperate in enforcing the NLTP Act, calling unified enforcement “an urgent necessity.”