The main accused in the January 11 Morena hooch tragedy in Madhya Pradesh which killed 24 people was arrested from Chennai on Sunday, officials said. The home of main accused Mukesh Kirar in Chhera village was also demolished as part of the action following the tragedy, they added.
Additional Chief Secretary Rajesh Rajora said Kirar was held from Chennai, while Jaura Sub Divisional Magistrate Neeraj Sharma confirmed that the accused’s home had been brought down. Morena BJP MP and Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar visited the houses of the victims on Sunday.
The January 11 incident, in which some residents of Manpur and Pahawali villages consumed “white coloured liquor”, has claimed 24 lives, nine of whom died immediately and the rest in hospitals later. A three-member team under ACS Rajora, and comprising Additional Director General of Police (CID) A Sai Manohar and Deputy Inspector General Mithilesh Shukla, was constituted to probe the incident.
Following the tragedy, the state government removed the district collector, the superintendent of police as well as the entire staff of Bagchini police station for negligence in duty, while a sub-divisional officer of police was placed under suspension. A case was registered against seven persons for culpable homicide not amounting to murder under IPC and Excise Act provisions, and a reward of Rs 10,000 each was declared for their arrests.
