📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ms Sarah Welch
Crime
Three Excise Officials Suspended After Devas Liquor Scandal, Including DIO Basanti Bhuaria
✍️ Amar Ujala · Madhya Pradesh
🗓 27 Oct 2026, 09:01 PM
👁 16
Following the Devas liquor scandal, the Madhya Pradesh Excise Department has suspended District Excise Officer Basanti Bhuaria and two other officials for alleged negligence in controlling illegal liquor production and sales.
The Madhya Pradesh Excise Department issued an order on Wednesday suspending three senior officers after the Devas liquor scandal came to light. District Excise Officer Basanti Bhuaria, along with two other officials, were relieved of duty pending further inquiry.
The excise commissioner’s directive cited a clear lapse in monitoring illegal liquor manufacturing and distribution in the Devas region. The department noted that the officials failed to enforce existing controls, allowing illicit operations to flourish.
The suspension is part of a broader effort to restore public confidence and tighten oversight of the state's liquor trade. An internal investigation has been launched to determine the extent of the negligence and to recommend corrective measures.
No criminal charges have been filed yet, but the officials remain under administrative scrutiny while the department reviews its enforcement mechanisms.
The excise commissioner’s directive cited a clear lapse in monitoring illegal liquor manufacturing and distribution in the Devas region. The department noted that the officials failed to enforce existing controls, allowing illicit operations to flourish.
The suspension is part of a broader effort to restore public confidence and tighten oversight of the state's liquor trade. An internal investigation has been launched to determine the extent of the negligence and to recommend corrective measures.
No criminal charges have been filed yet, but the officials remain under administrative scrutiny while the department reviews its enforcement mechanisms.