Archive · 20 Aug 2026
Congress Targets Mohan Yadav Over Gujarat Hooch Tragedy
People in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, became seriously ill after drinking fake liquor.
News reports said seven or nine people died, and many others were hospitalized.
A laboratory found that the drink contained 38.59% methanol.
Methanol is a poisonous chemical that is not used in genuine licensed alcoholic drinks.
Police said the liquor was sold in duplicate bottles made to look like a popular brand.
Early police findings suggested the bottles came from Madhya Pradesh.
Congress leader Jitu Patwari blamed the incident on alleged illegal liquor availability in Madhya Pradesh and demanded answers from Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
Police detained suspected sellers and continued investigating who made and supplied the liquor.
Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari alleged poisonous liquor in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar came from Ujjain.
Reports differed on the death toll, citing either seven or nine fatalities.
Seven people were reported critically ill, while another account said 30 were hospitalized.
Forensic tests found 38.59% methanol, a toxic chemical not used in genuine licensed alcohol.
Gujarat Police detained 12 alleged bootleggers, registered an FIR against 21 people, and investigated the supply chain.
- Who
- Victims in Bhavnagar; Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari; Gujarat Police; and alleged bootleggers.
- What
- A spurious-liquor tragedy involving methanol-contaminated alcohol caused deaths and hospitalizations.
- When
- Over the few days before Patwari’s Thursday remarks; one report was dated August 20.
- Where
- Bhavnagar district, Gujarat; investigators examined a possible supply link to Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- Victims became ill after consuming counterfeit liquor containing highly toxic methanol.
Congress Allegations
Police Investigation and Government Position
Origin of the liquor
Congress Allegations
Jitu Patwari alleged that the poisonous liquor was smuggled from Ujjain and said the tragedy undermined Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s claim that liquor sales were banned there.
Police Investigation and Government Position
Gujarat Police said preliminary findings suggested the counterfeit bottles were supplied from Madhya Pradesh, but investigators were still tracing where the liquor was produced and who supplied it to Bhavnagar.
Availability of alcohol in Madhya Pradesh
Congress Allegations
Patwari claimed liquor was freely available across Madhya Pradesh, including through home delivery arranged by phone, and announced a Congress campaign on the issue.
Police Investigation and Government Position
The reports note that Mohan Yadav had declared a complete ban on liquor sales in Ujjain, but do not include a direct response from him to Patwari’s allegations.
Scale of the tragedy
Congress Allegations
The reports citing Congress statements and the initial account described nine deaths and seven critically ill victims.
Police Investigation and Government Position
Officials cited in the PTI report said seven people had died and 30 had been hospitalized, creating a discrepancy in the reported toll.
- Reported deaths
- Seven in one report and nine in another
- Hospitalizations
- Seven critically ill in one account; 30 hospitalized in another
- Location
- Bhavnagar district, Gujarat
- Methanol concentration
- 38.59%
- Suspected supply route
- Preliminary investigation linked the liquor to Madhya Pradesh; Patwari specifically alleged Ujjain as the source
- Police action
- Twelve alleged bootleggers detained and an FIR registered against 21 people
- Packaging
- The liquor was reportedly packed in duplicate bottles resembling a popular Indian-Made Foreign Liquor brand
