Punjab: Hooch tragedy toll touches 38

AMRITSAR/CHANDIGARH: The toll in the hooch tragedy rose to 38 on Friday with deaths being reported from Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur districts. Till Friday night, 10 persons had died in Amritsar Rural, nine in Batala and 19 in Tarn Taran. The toll is expected to increase as the spurious liquor network was spread across districts, Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta said.
A huge quantity of spurious liquor, drums and storage cans have been recovered and sent for chemical analysis, the DGP said and added that cops had arrested eight bootleggers from Amritsar Rural, Batala and Tarn Taran till now.
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh also ordered a magisterial inquiry by Jalandhar divisional commissioner into the deaths.
Woman involved in illicit liquor biz held: IG
The inquiry will look into the facts and circumstances leading to the deaths, as well as into any other issues connected to the incidents. The probe will be conducted by Jalandhar DC, along with joint excise and taxation commissioner Punjab, and SP investigation of the respective districts .
Inspector general, border range, SPS Parmar had earlier confirmed deaths in Amritsar and Batala. “It is being rumoured that spurious liquor is the cause of death, but we have to wait for the postmortem reports,” he said.
The IG said that Balwinder Kaur of Muchhal village, who was involved in the illicit liquor business, had been arrested and another person nominated in the case. Balwinder’s husband was among the victims. She was booked under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC and the Excise Act at Police Station Tarsikka.
Terming it an unfortunate incident, Gurdaspur deputy commissioner Mohammad Ishfaq claimed that families of four victims had refused to lodge a FIR and maintained that their kin had died due to ailments like heart disease. He said postmortem of two deceased was being conducted, while one of the two people referred to Amritsar hospital had died. Majority of people who died after consuming the spurious liquor were from Hathi Gate area of Batala.
According to Tarn Taran deputy commissioner Kulwant Singh said the police had arrested two alleged accused and recovered some quantity of illicit liquor which they were trying to pour it down the drain. “There have been deaths in Batala and Amritsar, too. We are trying to find out whether the liquor went from Tarn Taran to other places or was brought from outside Tarn Taran,” he said. Deaths were reported from Naurangabad, Mallmohri, and Bacharay villages.
Giving details, DGP Gupta said the first five deaths were reported from Mucchal and Tangra villages in Amritsar Rural on the night of June 29. On the evening of July 30, two more persons died under suspicious circumstances in Muchhal, while one person was hospitalised in critical condition and later succumbed at Sri Guru Ramdas Hospital, from where he was referred by Dr Sarabjit Kaur Hospital, Tangra. Later, two more deaths were reported from Mucchal village, while another two people reportedly died in Batala city, also due to spurious liquor consumption.