Amritsar hooch tragedy: Death toll rises to 23; two more arrested

The death toll in the hooch tragedy in Amritsar climbed to 23 on Wednesday, with two more residents succumbing in the Majitha area, while the number of arrests rose to 16 after two persons were held in Delhi, police said on Wednesday.

Both the deceased hailed from Bhangwan village, they said.

Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said the death toll has reached 23.

Most of the victims of the tragedy were daily wagers. The deaths have been reported in Bhangali, Patalpuri, Marari Kalan, Talwandi Khumman, Karnala, Bhangwan and Therewal villages, officials said.

Two persons, Ravinder Jain and Rishabh Jain, were arrested from North Delhi on Wednesday, the police said, adding they have so far arrested 16 people, including the main accused, in the case.

''Acting swiftly on forward and backward linkages, Amritsar Rural Police arrested two persons from Model Town, Delhi in connection with the spurious liquor case in Majitha, Amritsar,'' Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on X.

''One of the main accused, Sahib Singh, was in contact with Rishabh Jain, as revealed through his WhatsApp chat history. It is suspected that Sahib Singh received a consignment from Jain which was used to manufacture spurious liquor in the Punjab region,'' said Yadav in a post.

Speaking to reporters, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Border Range) Satinder Singh said a total of 18 persons have been named in the case and 16 have been arrested.

There are clear instructions from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and DGP Yadav that the strictest action will be taken against those who were involved in the spurious liquor sale, he said.

The police earlier said that Deputy Superintendent of Police (Majitha) Amolak Singh and Station House Officer of Majitha police station Avtar Singh have been suspended for negligence, police said.

Two officers of the excise department have also been suspended.

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.

The victims of the tragedy ranged in age from 26 to 80 years, many of whom were the sole breadwinners for their families.

Manjit Kaur, who lost her brother Joginder Singh, said it would be difficult for her family to make ends meet now.

The family of Ramandeep Singh (38), who was from Bhangali Kalan village, is struggling to come to terms with the loss. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased and said that the state government would bear the entire expense of the education of the children of the victims.

Two separate cases have been registered at Majitha and Kathunangal police stations in Amritsar Rural 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 opposition parties in Punjab had attacked the AAP government over the tragedy, saying it shows the ''hollowness'' of the AAP government's much touted anti-drug addiction drive and the ''failure'' to control the liquor mafia.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)