Eleven people have died and seven others have fallen seriously ill after consuming suspected spurious liquor in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district,police said on Tuesday. As per preliminary reports, some villagers consumed a white coloured liquor, Morena Superintendent of Police Anurag Sujania said.
The incident was reported in two separate villages of Morena, while three people died in Pahawali village, seven lost their lives in Manpur village in Morena.
"On Monday night, eleven people from Manpur and Pahawali villages died after consuming suspected spurious liquor," he said. Seven others fell seriously ill and they were referred to Gwalior for treatment, he said, adding that one person, who is said to be in a critical condition, has been referred to Gwalior for treatment.
The relatives of the dead created a ruckus at the Morena district hospital where the post-mortems of the dead was being conducted." The relatives are demanding to take the bodies by a tractor while the administration is insisting that they take the bodies by ambulance," police said.
The exact source of the spurious liquor has not been found. According to villagers who reached the Morena district hospital early on Tuesday morning, locally made liquor is easily available in the area and is sold in connivance with the excise department and police officials.
"They talk about taking action when such tragedies occur but why can’t they stop the sale? Officers of the excise and police department are actively involved,” an angry villager at Morena district hospital said.
IG Chambal Range Manoj Sharma told media persons that residents of two villages under the Bagchini police station area, began reporting at hospitals complaining of ill health on Monday. By Tuesday morning, 11 people had died and another half a dozen were undergoing treatment at Gwalior.