The death toll in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar hooch tragedy rose to 13, with 96 people undergoing treatment, including seven in critical condition. Police arrested 14 of 30 accused and suspended five officials. A magisterial inquiry was ordered, while authorities probed a suspected Lalitpur link. Congress leader Jitu Patwari claimed 50 deaths, which the government denied.
The death toll in the Sagar hooch tragedy in Madhya Pradesh rose to 13 on Monday after one more person died, while 96 people were undergoing treatment at four hospitals, including seven in critical condition, officials said.
All those who died were men aged between 30 and 50, Sagar Collector Pratibha Pal told PTI over the phone.
“The post-mortem of the deceased point to suspected poisoning. We have sent the viscera for testing for more details,” she said.
Asked about reports putting the death toll at 22 to 24, Pal said the administration was going by official records and post-mortem reports.
A senior doctor treating the victims said, on condition of anonymity, that seven to eight people were admitted to Banda Civil Hospital, around 70 at Bundelkhand Medical College and Hospital (BMCH), and 17 at the district hospital. One person was airlifted to Bhopal.
Two dozen people were discharged earlier on Monday, the doctor said.
The doctor said the liquor may have been laced with methanol instead of ethanol. “Methanol causes blurred vision. Most of those who came to us, including those who died, complained of blurred vision. Some others came gasping for breath,” the doctor said, adding that some patients responded to fluids and began passing urine.
The tragedy came to light after 11 people died on Sunday following the alleged consumption of spurious liquor in two villages of Banda tehsil, around 30 km from the Sagar district headquarters. Several people who fell ill complained of blurred vision and dizziness.
Police have arrested 14 of the 30 people named as accused in three FIRs registered in connection with the tragedy, Collector Pal said.
Police and the excise department have launched a major crackdown on bootleggers after gathering inputs, Pal said. Revenue department teams, along with village representatives, were going door-to-door to check whether people were possessing liquor bottles.
Sagar Range Deputy Inspector General of Police Shashindra Chouhan said police were also investigating a suspected link between some people in Lalitpur in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and the local liquor contractor.
Pal had said on Sunday that a preliminary investigation indicated that the liquor had been supplied from Lalitpur.
“There is a gang in Lalitpur that supplies this kind of poisonous liquor. Since this area is adjacent to Uttar Pradesh, this has come to light in the preliminary investigation,” she had said.
Authorities have suspended three excise officials and two police personnel in connection with the tragedy.
Meanwhile, a magisterial inquiry has been ordered to establish the causes of the incident, identify those responsible and determine measures to prevent its recurrence. Jaisinagar Sub-Divisional Magistrate has been directed to conduct the inquiry and has begun the investigation, Pal said.
On Monday, Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda visited Sagar and met the families of the deceased and patients undergoing treatment. He said cases had been registered against 30 people and 14 had been detained.