Sagar hooch deaths trigger political row as Congress targets BJP

A political row has erupted in Madhya Pradesh following the deaths of 18 people who allegedly consumed illicit liquor in Sagar district, with Congress leader Digvijaya Singh accusing BJP leaders and government officials of involvement in the illegal trade.

During a visit to Chhatarpur on Saturday, the former chief minister demanded action against those involved in the manufacture and sale of illicit liquor across the state. He questioned why the trade had continued despite the authorities being aware of its scale.

“I say that this should be stopped across the entire state. When the government knows that liquor is being sold on such a large scale, why is it allowing this to happen? Why have licences not been cancelled, and why has no action been taken against it?” Singh asked.

He said the tragedy should not be viewed merely as a failure of law and order, claiming that the revenue generated from liquor had also influenced the government’s response.

“This is also a source of income for the government, and it affects revenue as well. Therefore, somewhere, officials in the administrative system and some Bharatiya Janata Party leaders are involved in this, which is why this is happening,” Singh told IANS.

Responding to the allegation, Madhya Pradesh minister Vishwas Sarang said the government had taken all necessary action and accused the opposition of attempting to derive political mileage from the deaths.

“There should be no class conflict or confusion, and attempts should not be made to do politics over the dead. The incident is certainly unfortunate, and the government has taken all necessary steps,” Sarang said in Bhopal.

He added that the state government remained committed to preventing similar incidents and urged opposition leaders to refrain from politicising the tragedy.
The suspected consumption of spurious liquor in villages in Sagar district’s Banda area has claimed 18 lives. More than 80 affected people have recovered and returned home, according to the district administration.

Several patients received treatment at Bundelkhand Medical College, with some critically ill people requiring ventilator support.

“We were able to bring them to BMC within the given timeframe, and out of those, more than 80 people have recovered and returned to their homes. The team made significant efforts, including for some patients who had to be put on ventilators, helping them recoup and recover,” Sagar Collector Pratibha Pal said.

Police have arrested several people in connection with the case. Ravi Lakhera, identified as a key accused, was arrested after suffering a gunshot injury during a police encounter in the Baraytha forest area on Friday.

The state government has suspended officials over the incident and ordered a judicial inquiry.

With IANS inputs