Badnawar police dismiss report of 30 falling ill after drinking illicit liquor in Ganesh Wadli

A report that more than 30 people had fallen ill after drinking crude, illicit liquor on Sunday in the Ganesh Wadli locality, in Ward No. 7 of the Badnawar Nagar Parishad, spread rapidly on social media. Police have dismissed the report.

Badnawar police station in-charge (TI) Amit Singh Kushwaha said the claim that 30 people had fallen ill was completely baseless and a rumour. When the report spread on Sunday, it caused a flurry of activity in the police and excise department.

On receiving information from social media and other sources, police teams immediately reached Ganesh Wadli and began intensive searches of places where illicit liquor is sold. However, they found no liquor sellers at the spot and could get no concrete information about the people who had allegedly fallen ill. Most residents avoided saying anything on the matter, so there was no official confirmation that people had been affected on a large scale.

According to information received, some people had complained of vomiting, diarrhoea and itching after drinking liquor. According to sources, a few people were taken to the Civil Hospital for treatment and discharged after first aid. The police administration has rejected outright the claim being spread on social media, on the basis of this incident, that more than 30 people were seriously ill.

During the inquiry, police learned that illicit liquor was being sold in Ganesh Wadli, but the alleged sellers fled before the team arrived. It is said that crude, illicit country liquor made in hand-operated stills has been sold in the area for a long time. Police and the excise department raid the area from time to time and register cases, yet the trade has not been fully stopped.

The concern is not limited to illicit liquor. Complaints of illegal sale of intoxicants are coming from several prominent places in the town, including Petlawad Road, Jail Road, Indira Garden, Ekveera Road, Warco City, Badi Chaupati Bridge and Gokuldham Society. According to local residents, some outsiders sell intoxicants in small packets. Because the sales are in small quantities, taking legal action in these cases remains a challenge for the police.