Chandigarh/Amritsar, May 13: At least 21 people, mostly daily wagers, died and 10 others were hospitalised after allegedly drinking spurious liquor in Punjab’s Amritsar district, officials said on Tuesday.
Ten people, including the alleged kingpin, were arrested while Deputy Superintendent of Police (Majitha) Amolak Singh and Station House Officer of Majitha police station Avtar Singh were suspended for negligence, police said.
The AAP government drew flak for the tragedy, with the opposition demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The state government said most of the culprits have been arrested and vowed to ensure the strictest punishment for them.
“These are not deaths, these are murders,” said Chief Minister Mann, who visited the affected villages and met the families of the victims.
A police probe revealed that methanol– a chemical used in industrial products — was procured in bulk online to prepare the toxic brew.
Methanol is a light, colourless organic chemical compound which is poisonous when ingested and is illegally added to alcoholic beverages as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, which is the normal consumable alcohol.
Two separate cases at police stations Majitha and Kathunangal in Amritsar Rural have been registered under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the Excise Act and the SC/ST Act.
The deaths were reported in Bhangali, Patalpuri, Marari Kalan, Talwandi Khumman, Karnala, Bhangwan and Therewal villages on Monday night, said officials.
Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said most of the victims were daily wagers.
Villagers consoled the distraught mother and daughter of Tasbeer Singh, a resident of Marari Kalan and the sole breadwinner of the family, who died after consuming spurious liquor.
Romy, 38, a father of three, was among the victims. “His eldest daughter is just eight years old. They don’t have a house and his wife is illiterate. Who will take care of them? The government has assured financial assistance, but more should be done,” said Romy’s cousin Jacky.
“Romy got diarrhoea after having a drink on Tuesday morning and soon his body stiffened. It was all over before we could take him to hospital,” he said, recalling the ordeal.
Gulshan of Karnala village lost his 26-year-old brother Kaka in the tragedy.
“He worked as a driver and has two toddlers. He drank alcohol that he got from the village last night. He started vomiting this morning and his condition deteriorated. We could not do anything,” he said.
Davinder Singh, who was hospitalised, said he had taken an alcohol pouch as usual but felt dizzy after drinking it.
The Amritsar district administration deployed medical teams who went door-to-door in the affected villages to check on people who might have consumed spurious liquor.
Officials said 21 people have died while 10 have been hospitalised with complications.
Punjab Chief Minister Mann said those responsible for the deaths of innocent people in the villages in Majitha would not be spared.
The opposition parties in Punjab lashed out at the AAP government, saying the liquor tragedy shows the “hollowness” of the AAP government’s anti-drug drive, ‘Yudh Nashain Virudh’ and the “failure” to control the liquor mafia.
They also sought the resignations of Mann and Excise Minister Harpal Singh Cheema.
This is the second major hooch tragedy that took place in just more than a year in the state. In March 2024, as many as 20 people had lost their lives after consuming spurious liquor in the Sangrur district.
In 2020, a total of 120 people had died because of spurious liquor in Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Batala.
Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said police arrested 10 persons, including the alleged “kingpin of the racket” – Sahib Singh – along with some local distributors in connection with the illicit liquor trade and main suppliers of methanol.
The alleged main suppliers of methanol have been identified as Pankaj Kumar alias Sahil and Arvind Kumar, owners of Sahil Chemicals at Sukh Enclave in Ludhiana.
Police also arrested local distributors — identified as Prabhjit Singh and Kulbir Singh — and local sellers Ninder Kaur, Sahib Singh, Gurjant Singh, Arun alias Kala and Sikander Singh alias Pappu.
Earlier, Amritsar DC Sawhney, along with Deputy Inspector General of Police (Border Range) Satinder Singh and Jalandhar Rural Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Maninder Singh visited the affected villages and met the families of the victims.
“We deputed medical teams as soon as we got information about the hooch tragedy. They are visiting door to door. Even those who consumed the hooch but are asymptomatic, we are insisting that they get a medical check-up,” Sawhney told reporters here.
She said the victims had consumed the spurious liquor either on Sunday or Monday and started vomiting soon after. “We are assuring our full support for the affected families,” the deputy commissioner said.
SSP Singh said that the investigations have revealed that the local distributor Prabhjit Singh had received methanol chemical filled in a 50-litre jerry can from kingpin Sahib Singh.
Prabhjit diluted it and sold it to people in two-litre packets. “We are tracing and seizing each packet,” he said.
During questioning, the accused revealed he ordered methanol from a Ludhiana-based chemical firm, Sahil Chemicals, via an online platform, he said.
The SSP said the probe also revealed that another consignment of methanol, ordered by Sahib Singh, from the Delhi-based firm is also in transit.
Excise and police teams have been dispatched to retrieve and seize the consignment as soon as it arrives, he said, while adding that all the culprits involved in this racket will be arrested.
Senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa alleged that the Bhagwant Mann government should accept responsibility for not being able to prevent such incidents.
“It is a failed government and a failed chief minister,” said Bajwa, who visited one of the affected villages in Amritsar.
“We hold Excise Minister Harpal Singh Cheema responsible for this and he should resign immediately,” he said.
Assuring support to the affected families, Cheema said none of the culprits will be spared and the government will seek the harshest punishment, even death sentence, for them.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia alleged that the state government was trying to shield an accused and was involved in a “cover-up”.
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh sought the resignation of Mann over the deaths in the hooch tragedy.
This incident is another proof of the failure of the AAP government, said Chugh.
“Mann should resign while taking moral responsibility for the incident,” he said. (PTI)
