Sagar (MP), September 6 (TNA) At least 11 people have died and around two dozen others have been hospitalised in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district after they fell ill following alleged consumption of spurious liquor on Saturday night.
The incident came to light on Sunday morning when bodies of the deceased were brought to Banda Civil Hospital in the Banda tehsil of Sagar district. Doctors declared them dead after examination, while more than 25 patients were referred to the district hospital and Bundelkhand Medical College (BMC) in Sagar for advanced treatment.
According to initial reports, the victims belonged to four villages in the Banda area. Local media identified the affected villages as Ghooghra/Ghoogar Khurd, Naoraj, Baraj and Patan, with some reports also mentioning Hinouti and nearby hamlets.
After consuming liquor on Saturday night, the men reportedly developed symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, headache and breathing difficulty. Family members rushed them to nearby health centres, but several were brought dead or declared dead soon after arrival.
The news triggered panic in the region, with residents avoiding locally available liquor and demanding strict action against those supplying illicit or adulterated alcohol. District Collector Pratiksha Pal and Superintendent of Police Anurag Sujania visited the spot and the hospital, reviewing the situation and ordering an immediate inquiry into the source and supply chain of the liquor.
Police have registered a case and begun raids in the affected villages. As part of the crackdown, police have sealed at least five liquor shops in the area pending further investigation. Officials said the exact cause of death will be confirmed only after post-mortem reports and chemical analysis of samples, but preliminary information points to poisoning due to toxic or spurious liquor. Hospital sources indicated that the death toll could rise as several patients remain in critical condition under treatment at BMC Sagar and other facilities.