Dewas, October 24 — Thirteen people died in Chandana and Binjana villages of Dewas district in Madhya Pradesh over 20 days, between September 27 and October 16, according to a Dainik Bhaskar ground report. Nine of the deaths were in Chandana, about five kilometres from the district headquarters, and four in neighbouring Binjana. Most of the deceased were labourers.

Source: Dainik Bhaskar ground report via Hindustan Manthan

Families of ten of the deceased have alleged — an allegation, not an established finding — that their relatives died after drinking spurious or adulterated liquor. They said some victims vomited and lost their vision before dying. Villagers alleged the liquor was bought from two Chandana men, Vindu Jaiswal and Vishnu Jaiswal, who they said are absconding and who allegedly claimed a contractor's permission to sell, keeping accounts in a so-called 'diary system'. Two men, Kailash Prajapat (28) and Sanjay (25), were reported to be under treatment at hospitals in Indore, with Sanjay said by his brother to have lost his vision and to be in intensive care.

Source: Dainik Bhaskar ground report via Hindustan Manthan

Speaking to IANS, family members in Chandana gave similar accounts. A relative said Rahul, Deepak and Prakash had consumed alcohol before falling ill at their workplace and died in hospital. Ramchandra Parmar said his son Rahul Parmar developed chest pain, collapsed with dizziness and had foam at his mouth after drinking, and Rahul's wife Kavita Parmar demanded that the village liquor shop be shut. According to the Bhaskar report, four friends — Deepak Rawat (28), Jitendra (35), Omprakash (35) and Bhima (55) — drank together on October 15 and all four died the next day.

Source: IANS via Hi India

The administration has rejected the spurious-liquor claim. Dewas Collector Rituraj Singh and Sub-Divisional Magistrate Abhishek Sharma called the claim misleading, saying the deaths in Chandana were due to other causes, the seized liquor was licensed and no poison was confirmed in testing. Sharma told IANS that around 10 deaths had been reported in the Chandana area, and said three women above 70 and two men above 65 died of natural causes, two others died while working in their fields, and another man died of a brain haemorrhage. State Excise Commissioner Deepak Saxena said testing of the seized liquor found no poisonous element and post-mortem reports pointed to multi-organ failure from excessive alcohol consumption, adding that any new facts would also be examined.

Source: Dainik Bhaskar ground report via Hindustan Manthan

Villagers have questioned the administration's explanation, asking why only those who drank were affected if, as they say officials suggested, the water was responsible, when women and children drank the same water without harm. Madhya Pradesh Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar alleged that 13 people had died in a suspected spurious liquor incident in Dewas, described it as the third such case in the state in three months after the Sagar deaths, and demanded an impartial investigation and action against officials found responsible. The cause of the deaths remains disputed between the families' allegations and the administration's denial.

Source: IANS via Hi India