Aligarh (UP), May 30

The death toll in the Aligarh hooch tragedy climbed to 25 on Sunday while the police seized 243 pouches of illicit liquor from a block along the district’s border with Haryana, officials here said.

BJP Lok Sabha MP from Aligarh Satish Gautam, however, said according to information gathered by him, the toll has crossed 35. Speaking to mediapersons, Gautam said his figures were based on inputs collected by him from different villages “where many victims have been cremated without conducting a post-mortem examination”.

243 pouches of illicit liquor seized

  • The Excise Department and police conducted a joint raid in the district’s Tappal block and arrested one person with a large stock of illicit liquor.
  • Acting on a tip-off, the house of Monu Srichand in Nurpur village was raided and 243 pouches of illicit liquor were seized, said SSP Kalanidhi Naithani. He has been booked under the Excise Act.

Asked why there was a difference between official figures and the information collected by him, the MP said, “There is no question of hiding anything. A person who has been a victim of this tragedy will ultimately find his name on the official death list.”

According to district officials, the victims were limited to Aligarh’s Lodha block on the first day, but have now spread to at least four more blocks.

The district authorities have been sending teams to villages to urge people not to consume any liquor bought a week ago.

On Sunday afternoon, a row broke out at a post-mortem house when some staff members allegedly tried to prevent mediapersons from taking pictures of bodies lined up there.

With the issue threatening to blow up, Gautam rushed to the spot and managed to calm down the frayed tempers of media persons.— PTI