Nine people died and several others fell ill after consuming spurious liquor in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, officials said. The deaths occurred in two villages of Banda tehsil, about 30 kilometres from the district headquarters.
Sagar Superintendent of Police Anurag Sujania confirmed that the nine fatalities were linked to the illegal liquor. He added that two other deaths reported around the same time could not yet be connected to the incident and that investigations were ongoing.
Banda BJP MLA Virendra Lodhi reported that, according to his information, 11 people had died from the spurious liquor and that roughly 25 others were rushed to hospitals for advanced care. The MLA also noted that many of the patients were suffering from headache and vomiting.
Sagar Collector Pratibha Pal said that local interactions indicated the deaths were a result of consuming illicit liquor and that screening had already begun in the affected villages. She mentioned that four to five people were shifted to the government-run Bundelkhand Medical College and Hospital, and that the first death was reported in the early hours of Sunday.
The tragedy follows a similar incident last month in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, where 13 people died after consuming spurious liquor, despite the state’s strict ban on alcohol manufacture, sale and consumption.
