Sagar, MP: The Sagar hooch tragedy, Madhya Pradesh, death toll rose to 13 on Monday after one more person succumbed, while nearly 30 others remained under medical observation, including two in critical condition, officials said.
Police have arrested 14 of the 30 persons named as accused in FIRs lodged in connection with the incident as authorities launched a major crackdown on bootleggers, they said.
Three separate FIRs have been registered on complaints by the victims' kin, Sagar Range Deputy Inspector General of Police Shashindra Chouhan said.
On Sunday, 11 persons 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 symptoms like blurred vision and dizziness.
Two more people died in the early hours of Monday, raising the toll to 13, Sagar Collector Pratibha Pal told PTI. She said that 25 to 30 people were under medical observation, and a few of them in critical condition.
One of the sick persons was airlifted to Bhopal on Sunday for advanced medical treatment, she said. Fourteen of the 30 accused named in the FIRs have been arrested, and a search is progressing for the remaining suspects, Pal added.
Police and the excise department launched a massive crackdown on bootleggers after gathering inputs, she said, adding that revenue department teams, along with village representatives, were going door-to-door to check whether people were possessing liquor bottles.
The police were also investigating a suspected link between people in Lalitpur in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and the local liquor contractor (outlet owner), Chouhan said.
Collector Pal on Sunday said the preliminary investigation indicated that 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," she 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 suspended three excise officials and two police personnel in connection with the tragedy.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has ordered a probe into the incident and asserted that no guilty person would be spared.