It was raining in Bhopal on Sunday when correspondent Himanshu reported that several people had been hospitalized and nine people had died due to consuming poisonous liquor in the Sagar region. Following this news, the author had to immediately travel to Sagar. After departing from Bhopal around 9 AM, the journey was prolonged due to rain and construction work on the Bhopal-Kanpur corridor, and he reached Sagar around 2:30 PM.
Upon reaching the area where the victims were found, the situation was found to be tense; people had blocked the roads with bodies, and heavy police force was deployed. Anger and deep sorrow over losing loved ones permeated the atmosphere. Moving further towards Nauraj village, the author found that this was the same village where four people from the same village had died.
Upon entering the village, it felt as if the entire community had lost its voice. Deaths occurred in four houses, and the deceased were mostly young, aged between approximately 25 and 35 years. They were laborers who supported themselves and their families. When the 'Aaj Tak' team reached Nauraj, the bodies of Kartar Singh Lodhi and Rajendra Lodhi had been brought to the village. Seeing the bodies, the grief of the relatives erupted in screams; women were crying, elderly fathers were stunned, and brothers sat in shock, while small children probably did not even understand this tragedy.
Kartar Singh Lodhi was only 30 years old and had two young children. He consumed alcohol around 3 PM on Saturday and later fell asleep. His condition deteriorated around 6 PM, after which the family took him to the hospital, but doctors declared him dead. Kartar's death not only took away one person but also ended the support of a family, disrupting one wife's life and leaving a brother trying to comprehend his brother's death.
Rajendra Lodhi, 32 years old, from the same village, was supposed to go to Indore for labor, but his sister had come to the village on the occasion of Rakhi. Rajendra had decided to go to Indore after celebrating the festival. However, just a few days after Rakhi, his sister had to see his body with the same Rakhi thread. Upon reaching the village, Rajendra's sister could not handle herself and started crying loudly, occasionally fainting. The village women tried to comfort her, but she eventually fainted. Rajendra's father also fell into shock upon seeing his son's body. Just a few days after Rakhi, that wrist became permanently still.
While touring the lanes and muddy paths of Nauraj, it became clear that this was not just a story of one village; most of the deceased were from young and poor families who earned their livelihood through labor. Alcohol consumption was not a hidden topic in the village, but the main question was what was the source of the widely consumed alcohol? While searching for the answer to this question, another shocking scene came to light.
The next day, the team went to the route from which a link in the illegal liquor network was revealed. A dhaba was found a short distance from Banda, about which local residents claimed that liquor was sold here at a lower price than the government contract rate. Upon inspecting the dhaba, the pictures were shocking: empty liquor bottles and water pouches were scattered around the dhaba, and there were signs of burning empty bottles behind. Among the pile of burnt bottles, a bottle of Sagar Gold was also found, a brand that the police were questioning during the investigation.
However, finding only a bottle does not prove that the poisonous liquor was sold from this dhaba, which will be confirmed by the investigation. But it is natural to ask why the administration did not pay attention to this if liquor had been sold here for a long time? Local villagers stated that compared to the liquor available at the government contract rate for about 200 rupees, more quantity of liquor was available at such dhabas for the same price. According to the villagers, about one and a half bottles were available for 200 rupees at the contract, whereas up to four quarts were available at this dhaba for 200 rupees. This cheaper option attracted laborers and villagers. Villagers also claimed that crowds gathered here in the evening as if a fair was being held.
After investigating the dhaba, the team returned to Nauraj. While wandering in the village, empty quarts of alcohol were seen in many places, including quarts of Sagar Gold and Bombay Whisky. Piles of empty quarts of these brands were also outside many houses, indicating the widespread use of these brands in the area.