Collector and SP informing the Deputy CM about the incident.
Fifteen people have died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in villages in the Banda area of Sagar district. Around 109 people are being treated in hospitals.
Police have registered FIRs against more than 30 named accused in connection with the incident and arrested 10 people. The arrested accused are being questioned about the liquor supply network.
Licensed liquor contractors Siddharth Kushwaha and Yashwant Thakur have also been named as accused. Police teams are conducting raids at different locations to arrest those who remain absconding.
Around 109 people who fell ill after consuming spurious liquor have been admitted to the hospital.
FIR details liquor supply network
According to the FIR registered at Banda police station, complainant Anoop Singh Lodhi said around eight people in his village were allegedly involved in selling liquor illegally.
He said that on September 4, he went to Jujhar Lodhi’s shop with his nephew Rajendra Lodhi. Jujhar allegedly told them that a new, cheaper brand of liquor had been supplied through a vehicle by licensed liquor contractor Yashwant Singh, along with Manish Lodhi and Ashish Sahu of Banda.
According to the FIR, the liquor was being sold for ₹20 less than the price at licensed shops. When Rajendra asked whether it was fake or poisonous liquor, Jujhar allegedly told him that it was the same brand and claimed that Manish and Ashish had prepared it using a liquor formula.
Rajendra then bought a quarter of country-made liquor for ₹70 from Jujhar’s shop and consumed it. His health deteriorated later that night. He was taken to Banda hospital and later referred to Sagar, where he died during treatment.
The FIR also mentions the deaths of Kartar Singh Lodhi and Digvijay Singh Lodhi after allegedly consuming liquor.
More than 30 people named in FIRs
Police have registered cases against Jujhar Lodhi, Dinesh Singh, Saurabh Lodhi, Govind Lodhi, Manohar Lodhi, licensed contractor Yashwant Thakur, Manish Lodhi, Ashish Sahu, Akash Rai, Rahim Khan, Satyam, Asharam, Arvind, Rohit, Makhan, Aniket Gandharv, Vishal Lodhi, Mangal Rajak and Raja Singh, among others.
Vinayaka police have also registered an FIR against licensed contractor Siddharth Kushwaha, Ram Singh Lodhi, Chandrabhan Rajput, Arvind Yadav, Bhagwan Singh and Mansingh Ahirwar, among others.
Queue of vehicles carrying bodies at Banda PM House.
Villagers allege liquor was supplied from Tatarwara
Villagers, speaking on condition of anonymity, alleged that illegal liquor had been manufactured for a long time in Tatarwara village under Naoraj gram panchayat.
They claimed that the liquor was supplied illegally to nearby villages and that several influential people and those with criminal backgrounds were involved in its production.
The villagers said they were afraid to name those allegedly involved. They also alleged that local police were reluctant to take action against illegal liquor manufacturing in Tatarwara.
These allegations are part of the ongoing investigation.
Patients undergoing treatment at BMC.
10 arrested, police say
Sagar SP Anurag Sujania said FIRs had been registered against more than 25 named people at Banda and Vinayaka police stations.
He said 10 accused had been arrested and were being questioned at the police stations.
“Information about the liquor network is being gathered from them,” the SP said, adding that police teams were conducting raids at different locations to arrest the absconding accused.
He said all aspects of the case were being investigated in detail.
Liquor quarters in every lane of the village.
109 patients hospitalised, 12 in ICU
Sagar Collector Pratibha Pal said 109 patients affected by the spurious liquor were undergoing treatment.
Of these, 85 are admitted to Bundelkhand Medical College, including 12 in the ICU. Another 17 patients are being treated at the district hospital and seven at Banda Civil Hospital.
One critically ill patient has been airlifted to AIIMS Bhopal.
Most of the patients are now in a stable condition, the collector said. Medicines, dialysis and diagnostic facilities are being provided on priority.
Methanol found in liquor
Officials said the source of the spurious liquor is still under investigation.
A preliminary investigation has found that the liquor was manufactured outside the area and supplied to the villages. Methanol contamination has also been detected in the liquor.
I’ve used “spurious liquor” rather than “poisonous liquor” as the standard news term, while retaining “methanol contamination” where the report specifically states that methanol was found.
