Dewas deaths: Families suspect alcohol link, administration rules out spurious liquor
Dewas (Madhya Pradesh), Oct 24 (IANS) The deaths of several people in the Chandana area of Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district over the past few days have led to conflicting claims, with bereaved families alleging a link to alcohol consumption. The local administration, however, has attributed the deaths to other causes.
The Opposition parties in Madhya Pradesh are demanding an investigation into the incident.
Speaking to IANS, family members of some of the deceased said the victims had consumed alcohol before falling ill. However, the allegations have not been established, and the administration has denied that the deaths were caused by poisonous liquor.
A family member of one of the deceased said Rahul, Deepak and Prakash had consumed alcohol before they fell ill at their workplace. “There has been an incident involving alcohol. Rahul, Deepak and Prakash had consumed alcohol. After drinking, they did not return home. They felt uneasy at the place where they worked. They were taken to the hospital, where they died. All three died together,” the family member told IANS.
Ramchandra Parmar, whose son Rahul Parmar died, also alleged that his son’s condition deteriorated after consuming alcohol. “After consuming alcohol, he experienced chest pain and collapsed due to dizziness. Foam then came out of his mouth. When the administration arrived, I told them that my son had died due to alcohol,” he said.
Rahul’s wife, Kavita Parmar, said her husband had consumed alcohol before his death and demanded that the liquor shop in the village be closed. “He used to drink only a little. He had never experienced chest pain or vomiting before, but this time he did. The liquor shop here should be shut down. What happened to me should not happen to anyone else,” she told IANS.
Another family member named Rahul, Deepak, Bhima and Om Prakash among the deceased, and said they had experienced dizziness.
The accounts provided by the families reflect their allegations and do not independently establish the cause of death.
Dewas Sub-Divisional Magistrate Abhishek Sharma said around 10 deaths had been reported in the Chandana area over the past few days but denied any link to poisonous liquor.
“None of the deaths occurred due to poisonous liquor. The deaths were due to natural causes,” Sharma said.
He said three women aged above 70 and two men aged above 65 had died of natural causes. Two other people had died while working in their agricultural fields, also due to natural causes, while another man had died of a brain haemorrhage, he said.
The issue also drew a political response, with Madhya Pradesh Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar alleging that the state government had failed to curb the illegal liquor trade.
Singhar claimed that 13 people had died in a suspected spurious liquor incident in Dewas and described it as the third such case in the state in three months, referring to earlier deaths reported in Sagar.
Questioning the administration’s explanation, Singhar asked why people who allegedly consumed alcohol had fallen ill if contaminated water was responsible for the deaths.
He also questioned the lack of action against Excise Commissioner Deepak Saxena and other senior officials.
Singhar demanded an impartial investigation and action against officials found responsible. The cause of the deaths in Chandana remains disputed, with families alleging an alcohol link and the administration denying that poisonous liquor was responsible.
–IANS
pd/skp
