The Madhya Pradesh Congress has expelled a party functionary who was arrested in connection with the death of a police officer during an operation against an alleged illicit liquor smuggling network in Dewas — in an attempt to distance itself from the controversy that has put the opposition party in the state on the defensive.The Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee said Rahul Jaiswal, a functionary from Harda, has been relieved of all party positions and expelled from its primary membership with immediate effect on the directions of state Congress president Jitu Patwari.The letter, issued by organisational general secretary Dr Sanjay Kamle, described the incident involving Khategaon police station in-charge Dilip Puri, who was run over by a truck suspected of transporting illicit liquor, as reprehensible.The letter said Jaiswal had been taken into police custody on suspicion of involvement in the incident and that a case had been registered against him. It also referred to alleged links between the incident and the illicit liquor mafia.The action comes amid mounting questions over the association of Congress functionaries with people being investigated in the larger Dewas liquor scandal. Jaiswal’s arrest had given the state’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) an opportunity to turn the Congress’s criticism of the state government’s handling of the liquor deaths in October into a controversy over the opposition party’s own connections.Also Read | Madhya Pradesh policeman run over by truck carrying smuggled liquorAccording to police, Jaiswal was the Congress’s Khategaon Assembly constituency in-charge and had earlier served as the district Youth Congress president. During questioning, he allegedly told investigators that he held a 30% stake in a liquor shop linked to the smuggling network, police sources said. Police alleged that he “coordinated the movement of liquor and the distribution of money generated through the trade.”The investigation into Puri’s death has also brought out alleged interstate links of the network. Police suspect that liquor was being procured through outlets in Madhya Pradesh and transported to Gujarat, where the sale of alcohol is prohibited.Story continues below this adPuri was killed on November 1, when he attempted to intercept a truck on the Indore-Betul highway near Sandalpur in Dewas district. The driver allegedly tried to escape during the operation, and the truck’s rear wheel ran over the police officer. Constable Sohan Jat was also injured. Police have arrested several people in connection with the case, while the investigation into the wider network is continuing.The BJP has alleged that the accused had political protection and questioned whether proceeds from the illegal liquor trade were being used to finance Congress activities. Cabinet minister Vishwas Sarang claimed that Jaiswal and his brother were partners in a liquor shop connected to the network, adding Jaiswal was considered close to Patwari.The Congress, meanwhile, has maintained its attack on the state government, arguing that the deaths and the killing of a police officer expose the failure to curb the illicit liquor trade. The party has demanded an impartial investigation into the network and accountability from the government.The case came to light after residents of Chandana and Binjana villages in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district reported a series of deaths allegedly linked to consuming spurious liquor between September 27 and October 16. Villagers claimed that at least 13 people died after consuming the liquor, with several others reportedly suffering from vomiting, dizziness and eyesight problems.Story continues below this adThe administration, however, disputed the claims, saying that the deaths resulted from other medical conditions, accidents and old age. The police investigation, subsequently, uncovered an alleged illegal liquor manufacturing and distribution network, and arrested over a dozen people.