Eighteen people have died after drinking spurious liquor in Haryana, officials said.
Yamunanagar Superintendent of Police Ganga Ram Punia said that the deaths occurred in Mandebari, Panjeto Ka Majra, Phoosgarh and Saran villages in Yamunanagar and neighbouring Ambala district.
The first death was reported on Wednesday, Ganga Ram said. "On Wednesday afternoon, we received information that a youth had died after consuming alcohol. A police team reached the spot and began an investigation," the SP told IE.
According to the IndianExpress news report, six deaths were reported in Yamunanagar in the last 24 hours whereas earlier 10 people had died after having the suspicious liquor while two died in Ambala.
The police have so far arrested seven suspects and are conducting raids to arrest more.
The police have confiscated 200 crates of spurious liquor made in an abandoned factory and given to the arrested people in Yamunanagar. They have also seized 14 empty drums and the materials used to make the illicit liquor.
A case has been registered under Sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 302 (murder), 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Punjab Excise (Haryana Amendment Bill), the Punjab Excise Act and Copyright Acts, Punia said.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the illicit liquor deaths, the opposition in the State has targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party-Jannayak Janata Party alliance government over the deaths.
Taking to Twitter, Congress leader and Former CM, Bhupinder Singh Hooda alleged that, "Black drug trade is spreading under the patronage of BJP-JJP government. Poisonous liquor, chitta and synthetic drugs are continuously killing the people of the state."
Aam Aadmi Party state chief and Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Gupta alleged that illegal liquor is being sold on every street. Gupta also alleged that the business of selling spurious liquor in branded bottles is also going on openly in the state.