Sagar Hooch Tragedy: CM Yadav Vows Life Imprisonment or Capital Punishment for Culprits

Bhopal: Chief Minister Mohan Yadav took stock of the situation in the wake of the Sagar liquor tragedy that claimed lives of many people immediately after he returned from his foreign investment-seeking tour of UAE on Wednesday.

Mr. Yadav, who held a joint meeting with police, administrative officials, and public representatives in Sagar to review the situation, said that stringent action will be taken against those responsible for the deaths caused by the spurious liquor in Banda-Shahgarh area of Sagar district in the state.

He directed a de-addiction campaign in the district to prevent such incidents from recurring.

He also directed officials to keep a close watch on those spreading rumours through social media or other platforms with the intention of disturbing peace and communal harmony and take action against them.

He vowed to punish the culprits of the Sagar hooch tragedy by applying appropriate provisions of law against them to ensure that they get either life imprisonment or capital punishment.

In a related development, the police on Wednesday announced a reward of Rs 20,000 each on two illicit liquor traders and Rs 10,000 each on 14 others, allegedly involved in the incident.

As many as 17 people have so far been arrested in connection with the incident.

Meanwhile, the Sagar liquor tragedy has threatened to undermine the ongoing exercise by Mr. Yadav to seek foreign investments for Madhya Pradesh, a section of ruling BJP and Opposition Congress feared.

The ‘man-made’ mishap, coincidentally, happened when Mr. Yadav set out on a three-day tour of United Arab Emirates (UAE) to woo the multinational companies to invest in different sectors in Madhya Pradesh, threatening to create a negative image of the state among the foreign investors, sections of ruling BJP and Opposition Congress feared.

“It is an age of social media which, in no time, breaks the news. Unfortunately, the Sagar hooch tragedy came when the chief minister was interacting with big industry leaders in the UAE for investments. The incident may create a negative image of the state”, a BJP functionary, unwilling to be quoted, feared.

Congress Legislature Party leader Umang Singhar said that the incident has raised a question on the law-and-order situation in the state.

BJP spokesman Dr. Hitesh Bajpayee however dismissed such apprehensions saying that the Sagar hooch tragedy has no political connotations and merely the actions of a few anti-social elements and criminals.

The state government’s prompt action in the matter has rather boosted the image of the state government as a tough administration.

Madhya Pradesh is a peaceful state and has all parameters such as infrastructure and good governance to become an investment destination, he said.

The chief minister’s UAE visit, held between September six- eight, has attracted Rs 53,000 crore investment proposals in different sectors.