18 more succumb to killer brew, toll 104
Of fresh fatalities, 17 reported in Tarn Taran, one in Gurdaspur’s Batala sub-division; seven more persons allegedly involved in smuggling of illicit liquor arrested in the two districts
A total of 80 persons died in Tarn Taran till Sunday evening. The figure also include those whose funeral rites were already performed by their families in the past couple of days KULWANT SINGH , Tarn Taran deputy commissioner
TARN TARAN : The death toll in the hooch episode in Punjab rose to 104 on Sunday, with 18 more people having consumed spurious liquor succumbed in the Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur districts.
Of the 18 deaths, 17 were reported from Tarn Taran while one is from Gurdaspur’s Batala sub-division. No fresh death was reported in the Amritsar district. Till Saturday, the death toll in Gurdaspur’s Batala town and Amritsar’s Muchhal village was 11 and 12.
Tarn Taran deputy commissioner Kulwant Singh said, “A total of 80 persons died in Tarn Taran till Sunday evening. The figure also include those whose funeral rites were already performed by their families in the past couple of days. We have inputs that these victims also died allegedly after consuming the illicit liquor.”
Some of the families have not come forward to report the deaths of their members who died allegedly after consuming spurious liquor, it is learnt. The death toll in Tarn Taran alone is likely to surpass 100 as around half a dozen persons are still undergoing treatment from various hospitals, said officials.
‘BREW WAS BROUGHT FROM TARN TARAN’
Superintendent of police (investigation Amritsar-rural) Gaurav Toora said they have found in their preliminary probe that spurious liquor was supplied to Muchhal village from Tarn Taran.
“We have got some more leads about those involved in the smuggling of hooch. The culprits will be nabbed soon,” he added.
The Batala police on Sunday arrested two more persons in connection with deaths of at least 11 persons. Batala senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rashpal Singh said those arrested are Badal of Hathi Gate locality in the town and Harpreet Singh of Mian Blehar village. “Harpreet was running a distillery at his home by using an electric machine. We have also seized 50 bottles of illicit liquor from his house,” he said.
POOR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING BODIES
On Sunday, the victims’ families were irked over the health department’s inadequate arrangements as some of them were not provided with vehicles for transporting the bodies after post-mortem. Some were seen taking the bodies in ‘gharukas’ and auto-rickshaws in the absence of ambulances.
They alleged that the bodies were lying in the mortuary of the Tarn Taran civil hospital for two days.
They also raised slogans against the police and health administration.
“The body of my son Kuldeep Singh (32) was brought to the mortuary soon after his death on Friday. Since then, I was waiting for the body which was given to me on Sunday afternoon. I requested them to arrange an ambulance or van as we are poor, but to no avail. I hired an autorickshaw to take it to my village,” said Pargat Singh (55) of Sangha village.
The body of Harjinder Singh of Kadgill village was taken on a ‘gharuka’ while that of Kulwant Singh was transported on a tempo-traveler
FIVE MORE HELD IN TARN TARAN
Tarn Taran SSP Druman H Nimbale said five more persons were arrested on Sunday i n connection with the deaths caused allegedly due to the consumption of spurious liquor. Till Saturday, the district police had arrested seven persons for allegedly selling illicit liquor to those died in the district.
A senior police official said they brought the alleged kingpin of the illicit liquor racket, Gurpal Singh, on production warrant from the Kapurthala jail where is also lodged in connection with a case involving seizure of hooch.