After denying hooch deaths, administration in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas faces shake-up

The Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday transferred Dewas Collector Ritu Raj and Superintendent of Police Puneet Gahlot — days after reports of suspected spurious liquor deaths in several villages in the district triggered a controversy over the administration’s initial response in the matter.

The Dewas district administration had initially dismissed allegations that a spate of deaths in Chandana village was linked to the consumption of spurious liquor, describing reports of hooch deaths as “false and misleading”.

In a statement issued on October 24, the administration said 10 people had died in the village between October 1 and 15, but maintained that none of them resulted from poisonous liquor.

It attributed the deaths to various causes, including old age, common illnesses, brain haemorrhage, accidents while working in fields, and pre-existing health conditions aggravated by excessive alcohol consumption.

The administration also said that liquor seized during the investigation came from licensed shops and that chemical tests and post-mortem examinations had not confirmed the presence of poison.

It claimed that no patient had been admitted to hospitals or health centres in the district or nearby areas for suspected poisoning, consumption of poisonous liquor or vision impairment.

The statement came after villagers alleged that at least 10 people had died after consuming suspected spurious liquor between September 27 and October 16, with some reportedly experiencing vomiting, dizziness and other symptoms before their deaths.

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However, after the deaths came to light, a police probe found an alleged network of illicit liquor smugglers.

According to police, the arrests followed information received about the deaths of two people in Chandana on October 15 and 18.

Relatives of the deceased and other villagers named Vinod Jaiswal, a resident of Chandana, as an alleged seller of illicit liquor. Police subsequently intercepted a car and arrested Jaiswal along with Ajay Rathore and Rameshwar Songara.

Police said six cartons containing 54 litres of country liquor were recovered from the vehicle. A case was registered under Section 34(2) of the Madhya Pradesh Excise Act, 1915.

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During questioning, the three allegedly disclosed the involvement of seven other people in the illegal sale of liquor, police said. Those named included Satyendra Ojha, Nitin Solanki, Chandrashekhar Bairagi, Raj, Jugal, Rajendra Ninama and Vishal Chauhan. All seven were subsequently arrested, taking the total number of accused in the case to 10.

City Superintendent of Police Sumit Agarwal said the seized liquor would be sent to a forensic science laboratory for examination.

On Tuesday, the government appointed Neha Meena as the new collector of Dewas while Aditya Mishra will be the new SP.

Former Dewas Collector Raj has been posted as Deputy Secretary in the General Administration Department.

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Former SP Gahlot has been posted as Assistant Inspector General of Police at police headquarters in Bhopal. Neither order explicitly links the changes to the suspected liquor deaths or describes them as disciplinary action.