Sagar, Sep 23: A key accused in the Sagar spurious liquor tragedy, which claimed 20 lives, was arrested along with his associate after a brief exchange of fire with police in the district early Wednesday, officials said.

Police intercepted Manish Lodhi alias Yashwant, who was carrying a reward of Rs 30,000, and his associate Ashish Sahu around 3 a.m. near the Nonia-Sesai Road valley under Malthoun police station limits.

Police said the two accused opened fire when the team tried to apprehend them. The personnel retaliated, injuring Lodhi in the leg, while Sahu sustained injuries while allegedly attempting to flee. Two country-made pistols, five rounds of ammunition and a baseball bat were recovered from the spot, police said.

The injured accused were taken to hospital for treatment and subsequently arrested. “The accused opened fire at the police team during the operation. The police returned fire in self-defence, and both the accused were apprehended,” a police official said.

Lodhi was the licensed contractor of the Barethi liquor shop, and police have alleged that he was involved in the supply of illicit liquor to villages. The administration cancelled the liquor shop contract after the tragedy.

Police said Lodhi had 11 criminal cases registered against him and had allegedly obtained the liquor contract by using the alias Yashwant Singh Thakur. He claimed that Yashwant was his brother. Police said a separate fraud case was registered after his identity came to light.

The arrest comes against the backdrop of the spurious liquor tragedy in Banda and Shahgarh areas of Sagar district earlier this month. Police have alleged that a network involving the manufacture, supply and distribution of illicit liquor was operating in the affected villages. So far, 52 people have been named as accused in the case, of whom 39 have been arrested, while 11 remain absconding, according to police.

Two accused, Ramsingh and Dinesh Shivhare, also died after allegedly consuming the spurious liquor. The Madhya Pradesh government has constituted a judicial commission headed by retired Justice V.P.S. Chauhan to inquire into the tragedy and has submitted details of the action taken before the High Court.

On Tuesday, the state government told the High Court that 20 people died in the incident and compensation was provided to the affected families. It also reported arrests, sealing of liquor shops, collection of samples, and medical screening of people in the affected areas.

Investigation is continuing into the entire chain, from manufacture to supply and distribution of the spurious liquor.

Further action will be taken on the basis of the evidence collected. The arrested accused are being questioned to establish the source of the liquor and identify others involved in the supply network, according to police.

Mumbai, Sep 22: The Bombay High Court warned “Fugitive Economic Offender” UK-based businessman Vijay Mallya against posting court documents on social media while the money laundering matter being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is still being heard, a lawyer said on Tuesday.

Advocate Ashish Mehta said that High Court’s direction to the fugitive businessman, allegedly present in the UK, followed the ED’s objection to Mallya uploading the probe agency’s affidavit on social media platform X even before the court had considered its contents.

Posting the matter for hearing on October 13, the High Court directed the State Bank of India (SBI) to file a fresh affidavit taking into account the disclosures made by the ED.

Earlier, Mallya had told the High Court in February that he was not in a position to specify when he would return to India.

He cited restrictions imposed by courts in England that he said prevented him from leaving the country.

The High Court was hearing two petitions filed by Mallya.

One petition challenges his designation as a “Fugitive Economic Offender” under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA), while the other contests a court order formally declaring him a fugitive.

Senior advocate Amit Desai, appearing for Mallya, had referred to Supreme Court judgments where writ petitions were heard even in the absence of petitioners.

He had submitted that extradition proceedings against Mallya are ongoing in the UK and that his client is aware of them but is unable to leave the English jurisdiction due to binding court orders.

The High Court, however, questioned Mallya’s intent to appear before the court, saying that he appeared to be relying on UK court orders without clarifying whether those orders had been challenged.

The Bench indicated that such reliance could not be treated as a blanket justification.

The court had directed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to file a response to Mallya’s affidavit.

It also asked Desai to submit a detailed affidavit placing on record all statements made during the hearing so that the Union of India could respond accordingly.

Wayanad (Kerala), Sep 22: Condemning the Bihar student’s molestation case, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said that the Central and state governments should figure out ways to ensure women’s safety at a time when crimes against women are increasing with each passing day.

Speaking to reporters in Wayanad, Priyanka Gandhi said, “It’s horrible, and crimes against women are increasing. Crimes against women are just increasing. It’s become unsafe for women. It was always unsafe; it has just become more and more increasingly violent towards women.”

“I think there’s no point talking about big schemes and programmes if we can’t even ensure the safety of women on our streets. So it’s really something that all of us need to think about. Wherever there are state governments, and especially the central government, they need to think about how they are going to ensure that women feel safe,” she added.

Priyanka Gandhi’s remarks came as the Jamui molestation incident sent shockwaves across Bihar and beyond.

The incident took place late on Saturday evening in the Madwa Pahar area of Jamui district, where a minor girl student was allegedly stopped and molested by a group of youths while returning from the area. A male student accompanying her was also allegedly assaulted, according to the FIR.

The matter came to light after a video of the incident began circulating on social media on Sunday evening, prompting the district administration to contact the victim’s family and register a case.

Jamui police have arrested Nandan Yadav, the alleged prime accused in the molestation and harassment of a minor girl student, following a police encounter in which he sustained a gunshot injury to his leg, officials said on Tuesday.

He has been admitted to a hospital for treatment.

Investigators identified Yadav through a viral video of the incident. Police said he was the youth seen wearing a red gamchha in the footage that surfaced on social media.

Police have also arrested Ramashish Chaudhary, who is accused of circulating the video online. With the latest arrests, five people have been taken into custody in connection with the case so far, including three juveniles.

Additionally, police said FIRs have been registered against operators of 120 social media profiles across multiple platforms for alleged violations related to the circulation of the content. They said that the individuals are accused of sharing the video or disclosing information that could reveal the identity of the minor victim.