MP hooch tragedy: Death toll rises to 16; 32 hospitalised, 16 arrested
The death toll in the Sagar hooch tragedy in Madhya Pradesh rose to 16 on Thursday after one more person died, while 32 others, including one who is seriously ill, are undergoing treatment at different hospitals, an official said.
Of the 30 persons shown as accused, 16 have been arrested and one detained, said police, even as Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has ordered a judicial probe into the incident. The spurious liquor was being brewed in Sagar district, they said.
District Collector Pratibha Pal told PTI over the phone that one more person died during treatment, raising the toll to 16, while 32 people are undergoing treatment, one of them in serious condition.
Sagar Superintendent of Police (SP) Anurag Sujania said Ravi Lakhera, a member of a gang from Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh, was allegedly involved in brewing the spurious liquor in the district. Sagar and Lalitpur share a substantial boundary.
Lakhera, a resident of Gangapuram Colony within the jurisdiction of the Kotwali police station in Lalitpur, is absconding, the SP said. He originally hails from UP’s Mahoba district, where his parents live, he added.
Authorities have also demolished illegal structures belonging to accused Manish Lodhi, Ashish Sahu and Chandrabhan Singh, he said. Manish and Ashish are absconding, while Chandrabhan is in police custody, the SP said.
According to the police, the victims had consumed spurious liquor falsely labelled as ‘Sagar Gold’, a locally available cheap whisky. “We have unearthed the hooch factory,” Sujania said, declining to share further details, citing his busy schedule. Police sources said empty bottles and labels of Sagar Gold, along with material used for brewing liquor, were recovered from the factory on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Wednesday ordered a judicial inquiry into the hooch tragedy, soon after his arrival from Dubai, to ensure an impartial investigation and fix responsibilities, said officials. The CM also directed recently posted senior IAS officer Dilip Kumar to take charge of the Sagar division and also posted senior IPS officer Irshad Wali as Inspector General of the Sagar range.
Yadav had earlier said that negligence or irregularities in serious cases will not be tolerated at any level.
