The investigation into seven deaths due to contaminated liquor in Gujarat s Bhavnagar has revealed how an ill-informed attempt to distill liquor in the dry state turned fatal. Ironically, one of those allegedly involved in the liquor-making died in the tragedy The investigation into seven deaths due to contaminated liquor in Gujarat s Bhavnagar has revealed how an ill-informed attempt to distill liquor in the dry state turned fatal. Ironically, one of...
The investigation into seven deaths due to contaminated liquor in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar has revealed how an ill-informed attempt to distill liquor in the dry state turned fatal. Ironically, one of those allegedly involved in the liquor-making died in the tragedy. Forensic lab reports have shown that the drink consumed by the victims contained 38.59 per cent methanol, a highly toxic substance not found in licensed alcoholic beverages.
The dead have been identified as Upendrasinh Chandrasinh Gohil (25), Kartik Ashwin Makwana (40), Ghanshyamsinh Jaypalsinh Jadeja (49), Kanaksinh Hanubha Gohil (37), Narendrasinh Yadav alias Doctor (47), Jay Jitu Bhatti (35), and Hitesh Dileep Parmar (42).
One of those dead, Narendrasinh Yadav alias Doctor from Madhya Pradesh, is among the 21 accused named in the case. Raees, also from Madhya Pradesh, is on the list of accused, and Gautam Solanki, a Gujarat-based bootlegger is the alleged ringleader of the racket.
They have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, among other sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Gujarat Prohibition Act.
The FIR, based on a complaint by Inspector SB Padheriya, says Gautam Solanki connected with Raees through someone and they spoke about distilling liquor. “Thereafter, Gautam, Raees and Zubair (a resident of Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh), went to Ahmedabad to purchase raw materials. They transported a white liquid, methanol, bottles and stickers to Bhavnagar. They made 51 cartons of liquor in the first round, and they were sold by Gautam and his brother-in-law Jatin,” it says.
“The second batch of liquor they made was so bad that they had to destroy it. Thereafter, Raees consulted Narendrasinh Yadav alias Doctor (a resident of Madhya Pradesh), to make the third batch, in which they used methanol. They made 25 cartons of this methanol-laced liquor and distributed it among various bootleggers,” the FIR says.
Narendrasinh consumed the liquor he prepared and later died at Ved Hospital in Bhavnagar on Tuesday.
Some police officers The Indian Express spoke to said some bottles of the spurious liquor are yet to be recovered and attempts are being made to seize them at the earliest.
Four police personnel from Vartej police station have been suspended after this tragedy.
Brendan Dabhi works with The Indian Express, focusing his comprehensive reporting primarily on Gujarat. He covers the region's most critical social, legal, and administrative sectors, notably specializing at the intersection of health, social justice, and disasters. Expertise Health and Public Policy: He has deep expertise in healthcare issues, including rare diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), the complex logistics of organ transplants, and public health challenges like drug-resistant TB and heat health surveillance. His on-ground reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic and Mucormycosis was critical in exposing healthcare challenges faced by marginalized communities in Gujarat. Social Justice and Legal Administration: He reports on the functioning of the legal and police system, including the impact of judicial philosophy, forensics and crucial administrative reforms (. He covers major surveillance and crackdown exercises by the Gujarat police and security on the international border. Disaster and Crisis Management: His work closely tracks how government and civic bodies respond to large-scale crises, providing essential coverage on the human and administrative fallout of disasters including cyclones, floods, conflict, major fires and reported extensively on the AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad. Civic Infrastructure and Governance: Provides timely reports on critical civic failures, including large scale infrastructure projects by the railways and civic bodies, as well as the enforcement of municipal regulations and their impact on residents and heritage. ... Read More