Archive · 8 Sep 2026
UP Police Reject Lalitpur Link to MP Hooch Tragedy
More than a dozen people died after drinking poisonous liquor in Sagar district, Madhya Pradesh.
Dozens of others were taken to hospitals.
The liquor contained methanol, which can be very dangerous.
Sagar Police said the liquor might be connected to Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh Police and Lalitpur officials rejected that claim for now.
They said investigators have not found evidence that the liquor was made in Lalitpur.
Lalitpur Police also said most people named in the case are from Madhya Pradesh.
The Madhya Pradesh government suspended some officials and ordered an investigation.
Methanol-laced spurious liquor has killed more than a dozen people and hospitalised dozens in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district.
Sagar Superintendent of Police Anurag Sujaniya said there was a strong possibility of a Lalitpur connection.
Uttar Pradesh Police said there is currently no evidence linking the tragedy to illegal liquor production in Lalitpur.
Lalitpur Police said all 20 people named in the Sagar FIR are from Madhya Pradesh except one long-term local resident.
The Madhya Pradesh government suspended local excise and police personnel and ordered a high-level inquiry.
- Who
- People in villages of Banda tehsil, Madhya Pradesh, were affected; Sagar Police and Uttar Pradesh Police offered differing assessments of the alleged Lalitpur link.
- What
- Methanol-laced spurious liquor caused more than a dozen deaths and dozens of hospitalisations, prompting an investigation.
- When
- Deaths began being reported on Sunday; Lalitpur Police also referred to an operation conducted on May 4, 2026, and an FIR registered on September 6, 2026.
- Where
- The deaths occurred in villages of Banda tehsil in Sagar district, Madhya Pradesh; Lalitpur is in Uttar Pradesh.
- Why
- The Madhya Pradesh government ordered action and an inquiry after the sale and consumption of suspected spurious liquor caused fatalities.
Sagar Police’s suspected Lalitpur link
Uttar Pradesh Police’s rejection
Source of the liquor
Sagar Police’s suspected Lalitpur link
Sagar Superintendent of Police Anurag Sujaniya said there was a strong possibility that the spurious liquor was connected to Lalitpur, citing a recent illicit-liquor racket case there.
Uttar Pradesh Police’s rejection
Uttar Pradesh Police and Lalitpur officials said there is currently no evidence that illegal liquor involved in the Sagar deaths was produced in Lalitpur.
Evidence cited
Sagar Police’s suspected Lalitpur link
Sagar Police pointed to the recent busting of a spurious-liquor racket in Lalitpur as a possible connection.
Uttar Pradesh Police’s rejection
Lalitpur officials said the 20 people named in the Sagar FIR are from Madhya Pradesh except one person who has lived in the local area for about 10 years, and asked Sagar Police to share any evidence indicating a Lalitpur connection.
Local enforcement
Sagar Police’s suspected Lalitpur link
The suspected connection prompted scrutiny of Lalitpur after reports of deaths emerged in Madhya Pradesh villages.
Uttar Pradesh Police’s rejection
Lalitpur Police said no spirit- or chemical-based illegal liquor was being manufactured in the district and that police and excise teams were continuing enforcement against illegal liquor production and sales.
- Deaths
- More than a dozen people
- Hospitalisations
- Dozens of people
- Substance
- Methanol-laced spurious liquor
- Affected district
- Sagar, Madhya Pradesh
- Disputed link
- Sagar Police cited a possible Lalitpur connection; Uttar Pradesh Police said there is currently no evidence establishing one.
- Government action
- Local excise and police personnel were suspended, and a high-level inquiry was ordered.
- FIR accused
- Lalitpur officials said all 20 named accused were Madhya Pradesh residents except one person who had lived locally for years.