With the death toll climbing to 20 over the past five days, allegedly after the consumption of spurious liquor in Punjab’s Sangrur, home district of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on March 23 sought an immediate report from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government into the tragedy, even as the State government faced severe criticism from Opposition parties.
Gurinder Singh Dhillon, Additional Director General of Police (Law & Order) on Saturday confirmed that 20 persons had died. “So far, 14 dead bodies have been cremated after the post mortem, while six bodies are yet to be cremated,” Mr. Dhillon said, addressing a press conference here.
The Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab has sought an immediate preliminary report and a detailed report from the State’s Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP). An official statement said that, according to information with the Commission, around 20 persons had died and 20 people were receiving treatment in various hospitals in Sangrur and Patiala districts.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kler demanded a criminal case be registered against Excise Minister Harpal Cheema in the matter. “Mr. Bhagwant Mann was on record as having said at the time of the 2020 Tarn Taran hooch tragedy that the then Excise Minister should resign immediately and that a murder case should be registered against the perpetrators,” he said. “The Chief Minister has not found the time to visit the tragedy-hit families. It is condemnable that instead of comforting the victim’s families of his home district, the Chief Minister is busy indulging in a drama in Delhi to please party supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal,” Mr. Kler said.
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said the enormity of the hooch tragedy in Sangrur was the result of a “liquor scam” in Punjab under the patronage of the AAP government. Mr. Chugh demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the case. He alleged that Delhi’s liquor scam had “spread in Punjab” and was reflected in the Sangrur tragedy.
The Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Congress’ Partap Singh Bajwa, hit out at Mr. Mann and Excise Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, accusing them of not taking the matter seriously.
The Punjab Police, meanwhile, has set up a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by ADGP Mr. Dhillon. Three first information reports (FIR) have been lodged so far in connection with this incident, Mr. Dhillon said. The police have arrested eight accused persons, and recovered a huge quantity of spurious liquor, and equipment used in its manufacture and labelling, from their possession, Mr. Dhillon said. He said that the initial probe had revealed that alcohol with methanol, which is used in industrial work, was procured by the accused from a factory in Noida.
