BHOPAL, India: At least 12 people, including a local leader of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have died and dozens have been hospitalised after consuming spurious liquor in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district.
Harnam Rai, BJP Mandal general secretary in the Banda assembly constituency, was among those who consumed the liquor, according to Indian media reports. His condition deteriorated and he died while undergoing treatment.
Post-mortem findings indicated the presence of methanol in the bodies of those who died. Madhya Pradesh Health Minister and Sagar district in-charge minister Rajendra Shukla told Aaj Tak that a large quantity of methanol had been found in the victims.
#Watch | Several dead After suspected spurious liquor consumption In Sagarhttps://t.co/4Mx1B51rNl pic.twitter.com/lyEV2aB63w
— The Hindu (@the_hindu) September 6, 2026
Methanol is a highly toxic industrial chemical that can cause severe poisoning and death when consumed.
The victims were from several villages in the Banda-Shahgarh area and reportedly fell ill after consuming alcohol on Saturday night.
Sagar Collector Pratibha Pal said authorities began receiving reports of illness and deaths on Sunday and launched an investigation. Medical teams were sent to affected villages, including Naura and Ghugru, to screen residents who may have consumed the liquor.
Pal urged anyone who had consumed alcohol during the previous 24 to 48 hours, particularly those experiencing symptoms, to undergo medical screening.
The local administration has sealed six liquor shops and ordered testing of liquor samples.
Police have registered three first information reports based on complaints from victims’ relatives, Sagar Range Deputy Inspector General of Police Shashindra Chouhan said, according to The New Indian Express.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav ordered an investigation and pledged strict action against those responsible.
“The news of deaths caused by alcohol consumption in the Banda-Shahgarh area of Sagar district is extremely tragic and unfortunate,” Yadav said.
According to Indian media reports, a licensed liquor contractor had recently complained to the Excise Office about the alleged sale of counterfeit liquor. Licensed contractors also reportedly raised concerns about the alleged supply of illicit and spurious liquor in the district during an excise department meeting several days before the deaths.
The Indian Express reported that the state Excise Department had received warnings about suspected illegal liquor activity before the tragedy.
Toxic liquor deaths in India
The Sagar deaths come amid a series of deadly incidents involving illicit or contaminated liquor in India.
Last month, 13 people died in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district after consuming spurious liquor, according to Indian media reports. More than a dozen others were hospitalised. Investigators later found that the liquor contained 38.59% methanol, India Today reported.
Earlier this year, at least 20 people died in Pune and neighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad in Maharashtra after consuming spurious liquor. The investigation traced the methanol used in the liquor to a supplier in Bhiwandi, according to The Indian Express. The state’s Food and Drug Administration seized more than 5,000 kilograms of methanol from the supplier’s premises.
Punjab has also recorded repeated hooch tragedies. The New Indian Express reported in May 2025 that 176 people had died in methanol-linked hooch incidents across Punjab over the past five years.
One of India’s deadliest recent liquor tragedies occurred in Tamil Nadu in June 2024, when at least 54 people died after drinking methanol-tainted liquor in Kallakurichi district and more than 100 remained hospitalised.
Deaths from illegally produced alcohol, commonly referred to as “hooch” or spurious liquor, are a recurring problem in India, particularly in poorer and rural communities where illicit alcohol can be significantly cheaper than licensed brands.
Methanol is frequently implicated in the most serious outbreaks. The chemical is widely used for industrial purposes but can cause blindness, organ failure and death when consumed.
