AHMEDABAD: The Bhavnagar spurious liquor tragedy has claimed two more lives, raising the death toll to 10.
Sanjay Singh Dodia, who was shifted to Surat after consuming the suspected spurious liquor, died on August 22 after being declared brain dead, while 35-year-old Hardik succumbed during treatment at Sir T Hospital in Bhavnagar. 17 people remain under treatment.
Sanjay Dodia had travelled to Surat from Bhavnagar after consuming the suspected spurious liquor. Dodia had been undergoing treatment for five days and was declared brain dead after his condition deteriorated.
Hardik Khilji, a resident of Vardhmannagar in the Bharatnagar area, had initially been admitted to a private hospital after consuming the suspected liquor.
However, as his condition worsened, he was shifted to Sir T Hospital, where doctors battled to save him. Despite efforts, he passed away.
The spurious liquor tragedy has left several other patients in critical condition.
Avinash Parmar of Bhavnagar, Mukesh Damor of Mahisagar and a patient identified as Bhargava are currently undergoing treatment at Sir T Hospital, with their conditions reported to be serious.
The crisis has also raised fresh questions about the source and circulation of the suspected spurious liquor.
Amid the continuing investigation, two empty Royal Stag bottles were found on Saturday at the ground opposite the old police line in Bhavnagar, adding another potentially significant lead for investigators.
Meanwhile, families of those still battling for survival remain anxiously stationed outside hospitals.
Laxmanbhai Damor, uncle of patient Mukesh Damor, said: “My nephew has been working at a company in Bhavnagar for years and has been living here for a long time.
"On August 18, we received a message that he had been affected by the liquor incident. We immediately rushed to Bhavnagar.”
He added that Mukesh was initially placed on oxygen support at a private hospital before being shifted to the government facility.
“He was on oxygen at the private hospital. He was shifted to the government hospital at around 4 pm yesterday and is currently in the ICU. His condition remains serious,” Laxmanbhai said.
The chain of deaths traces back to the night of August 16, when seven friends reportedly gathered for a liquor party in Kharkadi village of Ghogha taluka in Bhavnagar.
One of them, Upendrasinh Gohil, died after consuming the suspected spurious liquor, triggering alarm and exposing the deadly liquor network operating in the region.
What initially appeared to be an isolated death soon snowballed into a major tragedy, with more victims falling ill and being rushed to hospitals across Bhavnagar and Surat.
With critically ill patients still fighting for survival, the final toll could rise further.
The discovery of liquor bottles, the continuing deaths and the condition of several patients have intensified scrutiny of the supply chain in Bhavnagar.
