MP: FSL examines viscera samples in Dewas deaths amid spurious liquor allegations

Dewas, Oct 24 (IANS) The viscera samples of people who died under suspicious circumstances in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for examination, with the cause of deaths yet to be established, an official said on Saturday.

Dewas Municipal Commissioner Dilip Kumar, who is also officiating as the Collector, told reporters that the viscera samples of the deceased had been sent to the FSL for investigation.

“Further action will be taken in accordance with the law based on the findings of the FSL report. Confirmation on whether the consumed liquor was poisonous will only be possible once the technical report from the FSL is released,” he said.

The deaths reported over the past few weeks in two villages of Dewas have triggered a political row, with the Congress alleging that illicit liquor is being sold on a large scale in the state under the protection of officials and those in power.

Amid the controversy, a Congress delegation visited Dewas and met the families of the deceased.

The party alleged that the deaths highlighted the administration’s failure to check the sale of illicit liquor and demanded accountability from the state government.

Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari alleged that nearly 22 deaths had been confirmed over about a month, while the state government and administration were reporting only 10 to 12 deaths.

He also claimed that at least 40 people had lost their eyesight, accusing the administration of acknowledging only a handful of such cases.

Patwari said the issue was not about Congress or the Bharatiya Janata Party but concerned the lives of people.

Former Minister Arun Yadav, who met the affected families, alleged that incidents involving illicit and poisonous liquor in Sagar, Chhindwara, Balaghat and Dewas, following the earlier tragedy in Morena, indicated that the liquor mafia was operating under official protection.

He accused administrative officers and those in power of allowing the illegal trade to continue across Madhya Pradesh.

Arun Yadav also cited the deaths linked to contaminated water in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area and the cough syrup tragedy in Chhindwara, alleging that the state government had failed to learn lessons from previous such incidents.

He said deaths linked to spurious liquor had also been reported in Sagar and Morena, but the problem persisted.

Interestingly, after the news broke out on Friday, Dewas Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Abhishek Sharma had termed reports claiming that 15-20 people died due to spurious liquor in Chandana village as “misleading” and “baseless”.

He said the investigation had not confirmed any deaths due to spurious liquor.

The FSL findings are expected to establish whether toxic substances were involved in the deaths.

Dewas Collector Ritu Raj and Excise department officials had not issued a separate statement on the matter as of Saturday night.

–IANS

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