AHMEDABAD: A young man from Bhavnagar who allegedly consumed spurious liquor on August 16 has been declared brain dead at a hospital in Surat after his condition deteriorated sharply, taking the death toll in the Gujarat liquor tragedy to nine.
Sanjaysinh Dodia, a native of Bhavnagar, was rushed to Surat after his health suddenly collapsed following consumption of liquor on the night of August 16. He remained unconscious for the past three days and was kept on ventilator support at INS Hospital in Khatodara.
Doctors informed the family about his critical condition, with medical examinations indicating severe toxic effects and a significant reduction in the oxygen supply to his brain.
According to the details available, Sanjaysinh consumed liquor in Bhavnagar on the night of August 16 and travelled to Surat the following morning. However, soon after reaching Surat, his eyes closed and his health deteriorated rapidly.
He was initially taken to a private hospital in Varachha, where his condition turned critical during medical investigations. The young man reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest, following which doctors immediately performed CPR and managed to revive his heartbeat.
However, the crisis did not end there. Sanjaysinh remained unconscious and his neurological condition continued to worsen, prompting doctors to shift him to INS Hospital, a specialised neuro treatment facility in Surat.
Medical investigations have pointed towards serious toxic poisoning. A special report conducted as part of the intoxication investigation detected severe toxic effects associated with ethanol and methanol poisoning.
Doctors found that the patient's brain was not receiving adequate oxygen. The poisoning is understood to have caused a rapid deterioration in his neurological condition, with the effects becoming severe within hours of consuming the liquor.
Medical findings indicated that the toxic substance had spread through his system, severely affecting vital functions and ultimately causing extensive neurological damage.
After battling for his life in the ICU for three days, Sanjaysinh has now been declared brain dead and continues to remain on ventilator support.
Meanwhile, the overall scale of the Bhavnagar liquor tragedy continues to widen. The spurious liquor scandal, which came to light on August 18, has claimed nine lives so far, while 30 people are undergoing treatment at different hospitals.
The investigation has also intensified, with 21 accused named in the case. Of these, 13 were produced before the court, where investigators sought 14 days of remand.
The court, however, granted 10 days of remand to the accused, giving the investigating agencies more time to probe the alleged supply chain, manufacturing process and distribution network behind the deadly liquor.
In another significant development, the Bhavnagar Criminal Bar Association has passed a resolution deciding not to represent the accused in the spurious liquor case.
The decision comes amid mounting public outrage over the deaths and growing demands for strict action against those responsible for allegedly manufacturing and distributing the poisonous liquor.
As the investigation widens, action has also been initiated against police personnel over alleged lapses in preventing the illegal liquor network from operating. Bhavnagar Range IG has suspended Vartej Police Station PI A.B. Padheriya, while DGP suspended LCB PI Mayurdhwajsinh Sarvaiya in connection with the case.
The crackdown intensified further on the night of August 19, when the Bhavnagar SP suspended four more police personnel attached to Vartej Police Station.