Death toll in Morena hooch tragedy rises to 21, DC, SP shunted out
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister ordered the formation of a high-level team to probe the hooch tragedy.
The death toll in the hooch tragedy in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh rose to 21 on after seven more people died overnight Tuesday.
The seven men died in different hospitals in Morena and Gwalior. Seventeen others who had fallen ill after drinking the illicit alcohol at a party Monday night are still in hospitals in Morena and Gwalior.
The high death toll led to chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announcing on Wednesday the transfers of collector Anurag Verma and superintendent of police (SP) Anurag Sujania from the district and suspension of a deputy superintendent of police Sujeet Singh Bhadoria. He also ordered constitution of a high-level three-member probe team headed by additional chief secretary (Home) Rajesh Rajora, according to an official statement.
Two members of the probe team - additional director general of police (CID) A Sai Manohar and deputy inspector general (DIG) of police (training) Mithilesh Shukla - will visit the district.
Earlier on Tuesday, a police station in charge and the district excise officer were suspended shortly after the tragedy began to unfold.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier on Tuesday, a police station in charge and the district excise officer were suspended shortly after the tragedy began to unfold.
{{/usCountry}}The victims of the hooch tragedy are from five villages- Chhaira-Manpura, Pahawali, Bilaiyapura, Chheechhawali and Meerpur, all villages in the vicinity of small town Chhaira in the district.
{{/usCountry}}The victims of the hooch tragedy are from five villages- Chhaira-Manpura, Pahawali, Bilaiyapura, Chheechhawali and Meerpur, all villages in the vicinity of small town Chhaira in the district.
{{/usCountry}}Police have booked seven men but no one has been arrested yet.
{{/usCountry}}Police have booked seven men but no one has been arrested yet.
{{/usCountry}}“An FIR against seven accused has been lodged for sale of spurious liquor. Two of them are among those hospitalised. They will be arrested as soon as they are discharged from the hospital. A manhunt has been launched to arrest the others, inspector general (IG) of police, Morena zone, Manoj Sharma said,
{{/usCountry}}“An FIR against seven accused has been lodged for sale of spurious liquor. Two of them are among those hospitalised. They will be arrested as soon as they are discharged from the hospital. A manhunt has been launched to arrest the others, inspector general (IG) of police, Morena zone, Manoj Sharma said,
{{/usCountry}}Morena’s chief medical and health officer, Dr RC Bandil said, "Initial autopsy reports suggest the deaths caused by excessive consumption of liquor that caused damage to vital body parts of the victims like liver etc. The FSL report may reveal if there was some poison in the liquor.”
{{/usCountry}}Morena’s chief medical and health officer, Dr RC Bandil said, "Initial autopsy reports suggest the deaths caused by excessive consumption of liquor that caused damage to vital body parts of the victims like liver etc. The FSL report may reveal if there was some poison in the liquor.”
{{/usCountry}}A police officer who did not wish to be named, said the preliminary investigation found that the accused used chemicals to make spurious liquor and sell it to people in villages at low price. Police seized a large number of liquor bottles from an agriculture farm where the accused used to make the hooch.
Villagers of Chhaira-Manpur and some other villages staged a blockade at Morena by placing bodies of three of the victims on the road while accusing the local police of patronising liquor and gambling gangs in the region. The agitation was withdrawn on assurances by authorities that all the culprits responsible for the tragedy will be brought to book.
Satyendra whose brother Jitendra, 32, lost his life in the tragedy said, “The police’s inefficiency claimed my brother’s life. He is survived by four children including three daughters. Who will take care of them?”
Ex-sarpanch of Chhaira-Manpura village Rajesh Yadav said, “Police are hand in glove with illicit liquor racket and gambling gangs in the area. We complained several times against these gangs' activities on even the CM helpline but nothing happened.”
Earlier in the morning, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “A campaign will be launched across the state against illicit liquor and stringent action will be taken against government officials and employees responsible for such incidents, to check recurrence of such incidents.”
The Opposition Congress continued to attack the BJP government in general and chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in particular for the hooch tragedy.
Congress spokesperson JP Dhanopia said, “The BJP government and chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have miserably failed in maintaining law and order situation in the state. The home minister Narottam Mishra is busy in BJP affairs in West Bengal. That spurious liquor claimed more than 20 lives in Morena within just 3 months of Ujjain hooch tragedy which had claimed more than 14 lives over there speaks volumes for the functioning of the government.”