Gujarat hooch deaths rise to seven; four cops suspended, 21 booked
Bhavnagar, Aug 20 (IANS) The death toll in the spurious liquor case in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district has risen to seven, while four local police personnel have been suspended and an FIR has been registered against 21 accused over the manufacture, sale and distribution of chemically contaminated liquor, police said on Thursday.
Bhavnagar Superintendent of Police (SP) Nitesh Pandey told IANS that at least 25 to 28 people were currently receiving treatment in connection with the incident.
“Seven people have died. At least 25 to 28 are currently receiving treatment. Four cops are suspended in the incident,” he said.
The FIR was registered at Vartej Police Station on August 19 in connection with the consumption and distribution of counterfeit liquor in Kharakdi village of Ghogha taluka.
It names 21 accused from Kharakdi, Vartej, Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh and other parts of Bhavnagar district. They have been booked under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Gujarat Prohibition Act.
According to the FIR, the accused allegedly manufactured, adulterated and sold chemically contaminated liquor for financial gain, putting consumers’ lives at risk.
Police said the liquor was brought from Ujjain and subsequently adulterated before being distributed in Bhavnagar and surrounding areas.
The FIR links the liquor to bottles carrying the ‘Royal Stag’ label. Investigators have alleged that different members of the network were involved in procuring the liquor, preparing the adulterated stock and distributing it through various channels.
Police are now working to establish the complete supply chain and trace where the remaining stock was sent. A chemical analysis recorded in the FIR has found a high level of methanol in one seized Royal Stag bottle.
The sample contained 38.59 per cent methanol and 0.94 per cent ethanol, according to the officials.
The FIR also records methanol findings in samples collected from several victims, including Upendrasinh Gohil and Kartikbhai Makwana.
The case emerged after people who had consumed liquor during gatherings in and around Kharakdi began falling seriously ill.
Several victims reportedly developed symptoms, including vomiting and breathing difficulties, before being admitted to hospitals in Bhavnagar.
The FIR contains statements and medical information relating to several people who allegedly consumed the liquor.
Police are continuing to investigate the source of the liquor, the process through which it was adulterated and the extent of its distribution.
The State Monitoring Cell (SMC) has been involved in the investigation as authorities intensify efforts to trace the wider counterfeit liquor network.
–IANS
mys/dpb