2025 Uttar Pradesh Hooch Tragedy

In late February 2025, a mass poisoning outbreak hit Barabanki district, Uttar Pradesh, India, when toxic illicit liquor claimed at least 35 lives and hospitalized over 50 others. The victims, mostly impoverished daily-wage labourers, had consumed cheap country-made alcohol laced with deadly methanol, supplied by local bootlegger Munnu Kahar. Following the deaths, police arrested Kahar and several associates, while multiple excise officers were suspended for dereliction of duty. The incident exposed the widespread illegal alcohol network and systemic corruption within the state's enforcement machinery. The Uttar Pradesh government ordered a judicial inquiry and announced ex gratia compensation of ₹500,000 for each bereaved family, even as opposition parties slammed the administration's failure to prevent the tragedy.

As of 2026, the prime accused Munnu Kahar and his accomplices are in judicial custody, charged under Sections 302 (murder), 328 (causing hurt by poison), and relevant provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Excise Act. Several excise officials were suspended pending a departmental inquiry. A judicial commission was formed to investigate systemic lapses, while the state government disbursed compensation to the victims' families. The trial remains ongoing.

The key controversies centred on the gross failure of excise enforcement, allegations of collusion between bootleggers and corrupt officials, the adequacy of victim compensation, and political accountability for the thriving illicit liquor trade despite prohibition-like regulations in the state.

The tragedy triggered massive protests across Uttar Pradesh, with citizens demanding stricter enforcement against illicit alcohol and accountability from the excise department. It reignited a fierce political debate over the state's alcohol control policies and the persistent failure to protect vulnerable communities. Public awareness campaigns about the dangers of spurious liquor intensified, and opposition parties demanded the resignation of the state excise minister, framing the deaths as a preventable governance failure.