Bhopal, Oct 29 — Indore-based businessman Aman Kasliwal, 27, son of Madhya Pradesh Congress spokesperson Anand Jain Kasliwal, has been arrested for allegedly supplying a chemical to Ajay Rathore, who is accused of manufacturing and distributing spurious liquor. According to police, an FIR has been registered against Aman under the Excise Act.
Reacting to the development, Anand Kasliwal alleged that his son was being framed and argued that a supplier could not be held responsible for the misuse of goods by a buyer. He said his family was unaware that the accused were allegedly using any chemical to manufacture spurious liquor.
Anand Kasliwal said that his family's firm had supplied 220 litres of paint thinner to a customer on October 1 and the substance was mentioned in the invoice and the goods consignment receipt.
Kasliwal asked, "If a person takes goods from an establishment and misuses them, can the seller be held legally responsible for it?"
According to police, the identity of the chemical allegedly supplied to Rathore will be established after laboratory tests.
Amid the ongoing political slugfest over the hooch deaths in Madhya Pradesh, BJP leaders had earlier in the day accused the Congress of conspiring to defame the government over deaths linked to suspected spurious liquor consumption in Chandana village of Dewas district.
They had stated that the main accused and his associate had purchased thinner from a Congress spokesperson and his Indore-based businessman son.
BJP MLA Manoj Choudhary said 10 accused had been arrested in the case and cited the transfer of the Superintendent of Police and the Collector, along with the suspension of the District Excise Officer, as evidence of prompt action by the state government.
“These were immediate decisions taken by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to ensure that whenever there is any lapse or wrongdoing, prompt action is taken so that officials remain vigilant in the future,” Choudhary told IANS.
The illicit liquor deaths have triggered a political confrontation in the state, with the Opposition questioning the BJP government's handling of the deaths and demanding accountability.
The CM Mohan Yadav administration has faced scrutiny over the circumstances surrounding the suspected liquor-related fatalities and the action taken against officials.
Earlier, on Thursday, Madhya Pradesh Minister Vishwas Sarang alleged that Anand Kasliwal and his son Aman had links to the case.
He alleged that the main accused, Ajay Rathore, and his associate Govind had told investigators that they purchased thinner from Aman.
However, the allegations against the Congress spokesperson and his son are part of the ongoing investigation, and their guilt has not been established in court.
The deaths in Chandana have raised concerns over the suspected sale of illicit liquor and prompted demands for a thorough investigation into the supply chain, the role of those allegedly involved and possible administrative lapses.