In northern Punjab, India, the death toll from consuming toxic liquor has increased to 27, with six others initially hospitalized but who have since been released, according to officials as of Thursday, May 15, 2025.
Following the incident, authorities initiated a rigorous crackdown to dismantle the network of illegal liquor suppliers in the region. According to senior police officer Maninder Singh, authorities have arrested at least 16 individuals accused of distributing the tainted liquor to seven villages in the Majitha area of Amritsar district.
The local government has suspended four officers for neglect of duty and has launched departmental inquiries into those found negligent.
Sakshi Sawhney, a senior government official in Amritsar, stated that medical teams have been dispatched to the affected villages to assess residents who might have consumed the toxic alcohol. Healthcare workers are conducting door-to-door visits to identify symptomatic individuals and ensure their transfer to hospitals to avert further fatalities.
Preliminary investigations indicate that victims consumed liquor from a single source on the evening of Sunday, May 11, with the first deaths reported the following Monday. The death toll has continued to rise as more individuals succumbed to the toxic effects.
A senior police officer reported that those detained had obtained methanol online, diluted it, and distributed it to sellers who then sold the contaminated drink in packets to unsuspecting consumers.
“The police have launched a crackdown to destroy the network of spurious liquor supplies in the area following the incident,” Singh said.
Fatalities from illegally produced, contaminated liquor are a recurring issue in India, particularly in rural areas where economic hardship leads consumers to seek cheaper alternatives despite the health risks involved.
This tragic incident in Punjab comes after a similar event in Tamil Nadu, southern India, where at least 34 individuals died and over 100 were hospitalized after consuming alcohol tainted with methanol in the Kallakurichi district.
In 2020, over 120 lives were lost to spurious liquor in Punjab, underscoring the ongoing struggle authorities face in tackling the illegal trade.
Bootleg liquor deaths often result from the addition of toxic chemicals like methanol, which producers use to enhance alcohol content and potency while reducing costs. The illicit liquor industry is lucrative, as manufacturers circumvent taxation and sell their products at lower prices than regulated brands.
The issue of toxic liquor is considered a complex socio-economic problem, deeply rooted in poverty and the demand for affordable alcohol. Many victims are day laborers and others with limited incomes who cannot afford licensed alcohol brands.
Two businessmen from Delhi have also been arrested in relation to the Punjab incident, suspected of supplying methanol in bulk through online channels. The chemical was subsequently used in producing the lethal alcohol.
Family members of the victims have expressed grief over their losses. Local media have shown images of grieving relatives at hospitals and in villages upon receiving news of their loved ones affected by the poisoned alcohol.
Similar occurrences have been reported in other Indian states, such as Bihar and Gujarat, where dozens have died from consuming tainted or illegally brewed alcohol in recent years.
Enforcement challenges persist, as the production and distribution networks for illicit alcohol often operate in remote areas with limited regulatory oversight. Local authorities frequently discover these operations only after casualties occur.
Health officials note that methanol poisoning can result in blindness, severe organ damage, and death, even in small quantities. Symptoms typically manifest hours after ingestion, making rapid medical intervention crucial for survival.
In a separate case that underscores the broader issue of illegal alcohol in India, in 2024, authorities uncovered a spurious liquor supply network involving ex-servicemen operating from Karnataka. The operation involved selling fake liquor branded as “liquor from military” with counterfeit labels. Police arrested 14 suspects and seized over 2,400 bottles in connection with that case.
As medical teams continue their efforts in the affected villages of Punjab, authorities are working to cut the supply of illegal liquor while implementing longer-term measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
