Madhya Pradesh hooch tragedy toll rises to 12, 14 arrested in crackdown on bootleggers

One more person died in Sagar after villagers allegedly consumed spurious liquor, taking the toll to 12. The tragedy has triggered arrests, suspensions and a cross-border probe into a suspected Lalitpur supply network.Around 30 people are under medical observation and two of them are in critical condition.The death toll in the hooch tragedy in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district rose to 12 on Monday after one more person died, while nearly 30 others remained under medical observation, including two who were in critical condition, officials said.Police have arrested 14 of the 30 people named as accused in FIRs registered in connection with the incident, and authorities have launched a major crackdown on bootleggers. Three separate FIRs have been filed on complaints by the victims' family members, Sagar Range Deputy Inspector General of Police Shashindra Chouhan said.On Sunday, 11 people died and 54 others fell ill after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in two villages of Banda tehsil, about 30 km from the Sagar district headquarters. Many of those who fell ill complained of blurred vision and dizziness. One more person died in the early hours of Monday, taking the toll to 12, Sagar Collector Pratibha Pal told PTI.Pal said 25 to 30 people were under medical observation and two of them were in critical condition. One of the sick persons was airlifted to Bhopal on Sunday for advanced medical treatment. She also said 14 of the 30 accused named in the FIRs had been arrested and efforts were on to trace the remaining suspects. Police and the excise department began a large crackdown on bootleggers after gathering inputs, Pal said. She added that revenue department teams, along with village representatives, were going door to door to check whether people were keeping liquor bottles.Chouhan said police were also investigating a suspected link between people in Lalitpur in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and the local liquor contractor. Pal had said on Sunday that the preliminary investigation indicated the liquor had been supplied from Lalitpur. "There is a gang in Lalitpur that supplies this kind of poisonous liquor. Since this area is adjacent to Uttar Pradesh, this has come to light in the preliminary investigation," Pal said.The administration has appealed to people who consumed liquor and were experiencing symptoms such as vomiting, headache or fever to immediately visit health centres and undergo medical examination. Authorities have suspended three excise officials and two police personnel in connection with the tragedy, while Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has ordered a probe and said no guilty person would be spared.With the toll rising to 12, the administration is continuing treatment of those affected, tracking the remaining accused and examining the suspected supply link from Lalitpur as the probe into the tragedy continues.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 7, 2026 10:44 IST