Panel formed to probe false death claims in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas; report in 15 days

Divisional Commissioner Ujjain formed the committee following conflicting claims regarding the death. | Photo credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

The Madhya Pradesh government has set up a five-member committee to probe claims that at least 10 people died after consuming adulterated alcohol in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district, officials said on Sunday (Oct 25, 2026).

The panel will submit a report within 15 days, they said.

Divisional Commissioner Ujjain formed the committee following conflicting claims regarding the death.

Some villagers claimed that at least 10 people died after consuming spurious liquor in Dewas district between September 27 and October 16.

The district administration had earlier dismissed the claims as false and misleading. She later said that samples of the viscera of the two deceased persons had been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for examination. The cause of death will be clear after receiving the reports, he added.

The administration said 10 people died in Chandana village between October 1 and 15, but denied that any of the deaths were due to adulterated alcohol. It attributed the deaths to old age, common ailments, brain haemorrhage and “deterioration of health due to excessive alcohol consumption”.

Ujjain Additional District Magistrate Pratham Kaushik will head the inquiry committee, which includes Mandsaur’s Additional Superintendent of Police Ramsanehi Mishra, Ratlam Sub-Divisional Police Officer Lekhraj Meena, Excise Deputy Commissioner Harshvardhan Rai and Ujjain Regional Director of Public Health and Medical Education.

The panel will conduct a detailed and impartial inquiry into the causes and circumstances of the death along with related technical and administrative aspects and submit a factual report within 15 days as per the order of the Divisional Commissioner, Ujjain.

Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari said 22 people died after consuming spurious liquor in Chandana, Binjana and adjoining areas in the last one month, while at least 40 people suffered eye damage.

The leader of the opposition party accused the administration of covering up the deaths and patronizing the “liquor mafia”.

Published – 25 Oct 2026 10:21 IST