NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH: With six more people succumbing on Saturday, the death toll due to suspected consumption hooch in Punjab’s Sangrur district rose to 21.
A four-member special investigation team (SIT), led by an additional director general of police (law and order) Gurinder Singh Dhillon will supervise the probes. So far, six arrests have been made in the case.
The Election Commission (EC) has sent notice to the state government seeking an immediate report from the chief secretary and the Director General of Police on the tragedy.
Sangrur, where the tragedy took place, is the home district of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
According to reports, the civil surgeon in Sangrur has confirmed that while seven patients were still admitted in the district and five in Government Medical College, Patiala, two opted for private hospitals against medical advice.
Of the deceased, seven are from Gujran village, represented by Finance and Excise Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, and eight from four different villages of Sunam constituency, represented by Cabinet Minister Aman Arora.
According to the officials in the ECI, the hooch incident indicates that a widespread distribution network of spurious liquor is in operation across Sangrur.
In the election season, the incident has given the required ammunition to the opposition to attack the government.
BJP president Sunil Jakhar is reported to have accused CM Mann of inaction and PCC chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on his part expressed concern over the rising death toll and asked for strict action against the culprit.
A case has already been registered under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC and the Excise Act.
The high-level committee has been set up to supervise uncovering of the backward and forward linkages in a professional and scientific manner to unearth the nexus behind the whole matter.
“The SIT will go to the bottom of the conspiracy. No person found involved will be spared,” said police official.