Sagar hooch tragedy: IPS officer Anurag Sujania resigns days after removal as SP

Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Anurag Sujania, 38, who was recently removed as Sagar superintendent of police (SP) after about six months of being posted to the district, has resigned from government service, people familiar with the matter said.

Sujania, a 2014 batch officer, submitted his resignation on November 2, days after the government transferred the district SP and collector Pratibha Pal on October 27. Sujania was posted as assistant inspector general (AIG) at the police headquarters.

Sujania has not commented on his resignation. A senior IPS officer confirmed the development. “Anurag Sujania resigned due to personal reasons. Now, his resignation request has been forwarded to the state government,” the officer said.

His transfer came two months after a hooch tragedy in Sagar district’s Banda district in which at least 20 people died due to consumption of spurious liquor sold by bootleggers for ₹70 a bottle on September 7. Another 100 others were hospitalised. The state government has told the high court that the cause of death in the case of seven others was not clear. The government later constituted a one-man judicial inquiry headed by justice (retired) VPS Chauhan.

Opposition leaders, including former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, had attacked Sujania after the Sagar hooch tragedy. Singh had pointed out that 24 people also died in Morena district in 2021 after consuming spurious liquor when Sujania was the district SP. An investigation at the time had revealed that the sale of illicit liquor was taking place under police protection, following which he was removed as Morena SP.

Senior police officers said the State IPS Association discussed the case with chief minister Mohan Yadav on Tuesday. The government is yet to decide on his resignation.

Later on Tuesday evening, the chief minister convened a meeting of all senior police officers at his residence. A CMO officer said the state’s law and order situation was reviewed, including a discussion on curbing the liquor mafia in MP.