Illicit liquor manufacturing in Punjab: Investigations reveal heady mix of political cocktail

PATIALA: The ongoing investigations into the illegal liquor manufacturing racket that was recently busted at Shambhu have revealed that those involved belong to different political parties and had joined hands to make some quick and hefty money by not only bypassing the local law enforcers but also the state excise department.
While some of these men are local leaders having affiliations with Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and some have close links with the local BJP leaders including a former MLA of the saffron party. All of them are now being investigated by the cops for their involvement in the racket.
So far the police investigators have discovered a collaboration between Amrik Singh, sarpanch of Khanpur Village whose wife is a member Zila Parshad. Both are associated with the Congress party. Darshan, of Tabri Village, who is a SAD loyalist and had been a former member block Samiti. Vijay Kumar, who owns the cold store where the unit to manufacture illegal liquor had been set up, is a known aide of a former BJP legislator from Rajpura, while Dipesh, who is said to be the kingpin of the racket, is a Congress leader.
Sources in the police have revealed that these were all local leaders, who under the garb of their proximity with some established leaders of Congress, SAD and BJP, exploited the loopholes in the system, bribed the excise officials and managed to set up the illegal liquor manufacturing unit inside cold storage which was once owned by a former BJP legislator from Rajpura.
The police have so far prepared a list of persons frequently visiting the cold storage based on which further investigations are being conducted. Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh has already fixed the responsibility of the area deputy superintendent of police and the concerned SHO to make certain that such illegal activities are nipped in the bud.
Sources said so far it has come to light that a sum of Rs 5 lakh a month was paid to the local excise officials to look the other way while these men minted money. The extra neutral alcohol (ENA) which was used to manufacture the liquor of all established brands was ‘stolen’ from the tankers being sent out from various distilleries. The amount of liquid taken from these tankers was replaced by water to compensate for the pilferage.
It was learnt the ENA containing more than 70% alcohol was procured for Rs 50 to Rs 55 a litre and then diluted to 40% and after adding some flavours and colours the final product was bottled and sent for sale within and outside the state to mint money.
Patiala SSP Mandip Singh Sidhu said the police were investigating the case from various angles and the political affiliation of the accused were quite intriguing. He said the call and mobile records of a number of people were being scrutinised to ascertain if they were involved in this racket in any way. “We will book anyone who is found involved in the case,” he said,
Meanwhile, the rival political parties are targeting each over the issues. A former SAD legislator from Ghanour, Bibi Harpreet Kaur Mukhmailpur, said not only liquor but other illegal activities were also being run from the constituency at the behest of the Congres MLA Madan Lal Jalalpura, who denied the allegations and said, “ I do not have any association with the accused persons.”
Fingers have also been raised against Congress MLA from Rajpura Hardial Kamboj, who said he had always stood against any sort of illegal activity in his constituency. “Rivals are unnecessaries dragging me into this controversy. They need to be reminded that when some local miscreants in connivance with local police officials formed a nexus to sell drugs in my constituency, I vehemently raised the issue in the meeting of district grievance redressal committee and ensure that action is taken against them.”