MP, UP Cops Tussle Over Sagar Hooch Tragedy, 2 More Officials Shunted Out, Sagar Gold, Mumbaiya Whisky, Suspected Killer

Bhopal: The Sagar hooch tragedy, which has claimed the lives of many people and left several others battling for their life in various hospitals, has triggered a tussle between the Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh police over the manufacture and trade of illicit liquor.

A statement given by Anurag Sujania, superintendent of police of Sagar district in Madhya Pradesh, tracing the source of the spurious liquor that caused death of 22 people and left over 100 others battling for their lives in various hospitals in the state, to Lalitpur district in Uttar Pradesh has provoked strong rebuttal by Lalitpur superintendent of police Sanjeev Kumar Bajpayee.

Mr. Bajpayee accused the Sagar police of misguiding the Madhya Pradesh media by linking the hooch tragedy to the illicit liquor allegedly manufactured in Lalitpur district.

Two people, Ravi Lakra and Chandresh Lodh, were arrested along with five others in connection with the illicit liquor trade during a joint raid by the police and excise officials on May four, this year, Mr. Bajpayee said in a statement to the media which has gone viral on social media.

Both Lakra, a licensed liquor trader, and Lodhi hailed from Madhya Pradesh.

Lakra has several cases pending against him in different police stations in Madhya Pradesh, he said.

Mr. Bajpayee denied manufacture and trade of illicit liquor in Lalitpur district and said that all the 20 accused, named in the FIR in the Sagar hooch tragedy case, barring Akash Rai, hailed from Madhya Pradesh.

Even Rai, who hailed from Uttar Pradesh, had shifted to Banda ten years ago, he added.

The Lalitpur SP exhorted the Sagar police to share with him any evidence to establish the claim sourcing the killer liquor to Lalitpur district.

The tragedy has caused the death of 22 people so far, unofficially.

However, the official death toll has been put at 13.

Meanwhile, two more officials were shunted out following the Sagar mishap.

The sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Banda Arti Yadav and local sub divisional officer of police (SDOP) Pradip Valmiki were on Tuesday removed from their posts.

In another development, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Umang Singhar on Tuesday demanded a high-level probe into the Sagar liquor tragedy.

Sagar district collector had earlier ordered a magisterial probe by a local SDM into the incident.

Mr. Singhar demanded the state government to launch a crackdown on the illicit liquor trade across the state ‘without any delay.’

In another development, two counterfeit liquor brands, Sagar Gold and Mumbaiya Whisky, were suspected to have caused the tragedy

Samples of these two brands were sent for forensic tests.