Punjab hooch tragedy: 25 held, CM Amarinder Singh orders suspension of 13

AMRITSAR/CHANDIGARH: Even as the number of deaths in the Punjab hooch tragedy rose to 86 on Saturday, the Punjab Police on Saturday arrested 17 more persons in a massive crackdown in the three affected districts of Amritsar Rural, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran, along with several other places in and around Rajpura and Shambhu border. The total number of arrests in the case has gone up to 25.
"A mafia mastermind, a woman kingpin, a transport owner, a wanted criminal and owners/managers of various dhabas from where the illicit liquor was being supplied are among the arrested accused," said Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta.
The raiding parties have also seized large quantities of Lahan from various villages and dhabas around Shambhu border, Rajpura and Patiala, the DGP said, adding that the raids had exposed a massive racket in illicit liquor, extending across several districts.
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday ordered the suspension as well as inquiry against seven excise and taxation officers and inspectors, along with two DSPs and four SHOs of Punjab Police, in connection with the hooch tragedy, which has so far claimed 86 lives in the three districts of Tarn Taran, Amritsar Rural and Gurdaspur.
Rs 2L ex gratia for victims’ kin: CM
The CM has also announced Rs 2 lakh ex gratia for families of each deceased, most of whom were from Tarn Taran, which accounts for 63 deaths, followed by Amritsar Rural 12 and Gurdaspur (Batala) 11 .
“Strict action will be taken against any public servant or others found complicit in the case," said Amarinder, describing the police and excise department failure to check the manufacturing and sale of spurious liquor as shameful. Nobody will be allowed to get away with feeding poison to our people, he added.
Urging the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal not to politicise the tragedy, in which so many families had been destroyed, the CM said such cases had happened earlier too, including under the SAD-BJP regime.
Giving more details of the crackdown, the DGP said during the raid at Jhilmil dhaba, whose manager Narinder Singh has been arrested, 200 litres of Lahan was seized. The dhaba owner, Harjit Singh, has been named in the FIR.
Kingpin Darshan Rani was arrested by Batala cops, while another key accused Beeri, of Deo village, PS Sadar Tarn Taran, has also been arrested for supplying the spurious alcohol. Prem Singh, the owner of Azad Transport, and Bhinda (wanted by Tarn Taran Police) were arrested by Rajpura cops on Saturday.
At Green Dhaba on Rajpura-Chandigarh Road in Zirakpur, approximately 200 litres of a diesel-like liquid was recovered in 4/5 small containers, which truck drivers were selling to the dhaba owner. The dhaba has also been sealed and its owner Gurjant Singh has been arrested.
According to the Excise Commissioner, though reports of the chemical analysis of the material seized in Friday’s raids were awaited, a superficial check showed that the material was denatured spirit, generally used in the paint/hardware industry.
Hardial Singh Maan, deputy inspector general, Ferozepur division, said that relatives of many victims had performed the last rites without informing police, but they got some autopsies done. He said nine people had been arrested and booked under various IPC sections and the Excise Act. Sources said police had identified two more persons who were still absconding and had recovered illicit liquor.
Gurdaspur deputy commissioner (DC) Mohammad Ishfaq said five people were arrested, including two women Faujan and Trivani -- the latter runs a You-Tube news channel. Referring to some families’ claims regarding the cause of their kin’s death, he said, "It is unbelievable that five to six people living within 1-2 km die of heart attack or some other disease within a few hours".