BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh Excise Department has intensified its statewide crackdown on illegal and illicit liquor following the Sagar hooch tragedy, registering nearly 1,000 cases and seizing 7,825 litres of liquor in the first two days of a special enforcement drive launched on September 6.
Acting on the directions of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Excise Commissioner Deepak Saxena has instructed officials across the state to step up action against the manufacture, sale, transportation and storage of illegal and illicit liquor.
Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda, who heads the Excise Department, has directed officials to step up enforcement measures and launch a sustained statewide offensive against the illegal manufacture, sale and distribution of liquor.
According to an official report, enforcement teams registered 987 cases under Section 34(1) of the Excise Act for illegal manufacture, transportation, possession or sale involving up to 50 litres of intoxicants across the state. Nine cases were registered under Section 34(2) for quantities exceeding 50 litres, while four cases were booked under Section 49-A in connection with non-potable or denatured spirits intended for human consumption.
A total of 636 people were named as accused during the first two days of the campaign — 301 on September 6 and 335 on September 7.
In Sagar district, where the consumption of suspected spurious liquor in villages of Banda tehsil resulted in multiple deaths, excise officials registered seven cases on September 7. These included five cases under Section 34(1), one under Section 34(2) and one under Section 49-A. The department seized 101 litres of liquor and named five accused. No cases or seizures were reported from Sagar under the special drive on September 6.
In Bhopal, excise teams led by Assistant Excise Commissioner Virendra Dhakad conducted raids at several locations across the district. Cases were registered against 32 people allegedly involved in the illegal manufacture, sale, possession and transportation of liquor.
The teams seized 14.06 bulk litres (BL) of country-made liquor, 2.46 BL of foreign liquor, 1.2 BL of foreign malt, 300 kg of lahan and 66 BL of kacchi madira during the raids across the Bhopal district.
The statewide campaign was launched in the wake of the Sagar hooch tragedy, in which several people died, and dozens fell ill in early September after allegedly consuming cheap spurious whisky and country liquor, some of which was reportedly packaged to resemble locally sold brands.
Preliminary investigations pointed to methanol contamination and a possible supply chain extending into neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. Several excise and police officials have since been suspended, multiple FIRs registered and a magisterial inquiry ordered into the deaths.
As part of the intensified enforcement, excise teams are conducting raids, door-to-door checks and inspections of licensed liquor outlets in coordination with the police and revenue authorities.
Officials said the campaign would continue across the state, with particular focus on dismantling illicit liquor manufacturing and distribution networks that have repeatedly emerged as a serious concern in the Bundelkhand region.