Amid alleged alcohol-related deaths in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas, police have arrested 10 for the illegal trade

Police in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district have arrested 10 people for allegedly selling illegal liquor in the region, days after locals alleged that about 13 people died in a month due to consumption of spurious liquor, officials said on Monday (Oct 26, 2026).

According to the police, the operation was launched based on information from the district hospital about the deaths of two people on October 15 and 18, whose families allegedly died after consuming liquor. The 10 accused were booked under Section 34(2) of the Madhya Pradesh Excise Act, 1915.

The crackdown comes days after Ujjain Divisional Commissioner Asheesh Singh constituted a five-member special panel to conduct a detailed probe into the alleged deaths in Chandana and Binjana villages. However, the Dewas district administration had earlier rejected the new reports and claims of the Congress and denied any deaths related to fake alcohol and said that the samples of the two deceased who underwent post-mortem have been sent for forensic tests for clarity. It also said that various samples of the liquor tested based on claims by local residents did not contain poisonous content.

Local residents of the two villages claimed that 13 people have died since September 26. Congress leader MP Jitu Patwai, who visited the affected villages, also claimed that about 35-40 people had damaged their eyesight due to spurious alcohol.

Speaking to The Hindu, Dewas Superintendent of Police (SP) Punit Gehlot said that the family members of both the deceased have alleged that one Vinod Jaiswal is involved in the sale of illegal liquor in the region following which a search has been launched to nab him.

“We tracked him down today (October 26) when he was trying to escape in a car with two of his companions and they were arrested,” he said, adding that seven other people were arrested based on information they got from them.

Those arrested include managers and business managers of various government-licensed liquor shops in the district, the police said in a statement. The police also seized 56 liters of illegal home-made alcohol from the accused, which .

Mr. Gehlot further said that the FSL test reports of both the deceased are awaited and samples of liquor seized from the arrested persons will also be sent for testing and further legal action will be taken based on that.

However, senior district administration maintained that there was “no tragedy” in the region, citing medical records to claim that many of the deceased died of other illnesses.

“We do not deny that several people may have died due to the consumption of liquor, but the numbers are exaggerated. The family members of some of the deceased, who have been investigated, have also not made any such allegations in their first statements. But the matter is under investigation and forensic experts will clarify whether the liquor was fake, anonymous or not,” said the official.

Meanwhile, Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Umang Singhar also visited Chandana village on Monday (October 26, 2026) and requested the government for financial assistance of ₹25,000 for each deceased. He also announced ₹50,000 for each deceased family from the Congress Legislature Party (CLP).

Published – 27 Oct 2026 03:45 IST