Amaravati: The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) on Sunday alleged that the Kurnool bus fire, which killed 20 people on October 24, was the result of government negligence and the unchecked sale of spurious liquor in Andhra Pradesh, calling it a “government-made massacre.”

The tragedy occurred when a private sleeper bus collided with a two-wheeler that had already met with an accident at Chinna Tekuru village in Kurnool district. The bike got trapped under the bus, causing its fuel tank to burst and trigger a massive fire. The accident claimed 20 lives — 19 passengers and the biker — while several others managed to escape from the burning vehicle.

In a press release, the YSRCP claimed that the biker, Siva Shankar, and another person, Erri Swamy, had consumed fake liquor from an illegal alcohol outlet in Lakshmipuram before the crash. “This Kurnool bus fire that claimed 20 lives is nothing but a government-made massacre driven by the sale of fake liquor,” the party alleged.

Demanding accountability, the YSRCP urged the NDA coalition government to provide ₹1 crore compensation to each victim’s family and initiate criminal proceedings against Excise Minister Kollu Ravindra. The opposition party further claimed that the police investigation had confirmed intoxication from spurious liquor purchased at an unlicensed “belt shop,” placing full responsibility on the state government’s failure to enforce liquor laws.

Accusing the government of ignoring repeated warnings, the YSRCP cited earlier busts of fake liquor operations across Mulakalacheruvu, Ibrahimpatnam, Repalle, Anakapalli, Nellore, and Eluru, claiming that most units were never sealed and those involved faced no punishment. The party alleged that one in every four liquor bottles sold in the state is counterfeit, estimating the fake liquor racket to be worth over ₹5,000 crore.

Blaming Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, the YSRCP said Andhra Pradesh had effectively become an “ATM — Any Time Liquor” state, where illegal belt shops thrive even along national highways, endangering public safety.

The ruling TDP has not yet responded to the allegations.

With inputs from PTI