Hooch kills 6 more, toll 12
KANPUR: In less than 24 hours of hooch tragedy in Kanpur’s Sachendi, spurious liquor sold from another licensed liquor shop claimed six more lives in Roora in Kanpur Dehat on Sunday. In the Sachendi incident, two more people died taking the toll there to 6.
CM Yogi Adityanath announced financial assistance of ₹2 lakh to the next of kin of each of the deceased.
Officials suspect that locally distilled illicit liquor was sold from the shop as was the case in Kanpur’s Sachendi where six
THE SALESMAN OF THE SHOP DESTROYED THE LIQUOR STOCK BY SETTING IT ON FIRE AS SOON AS REPORTS OF DEATHS SPREAD.
people have died since Saturday and a dozen complained of loss of vision or blurred vision.
Those who died on Sunday were identified as Shyamu 40, Chunna Kushwaha, 28, Hari Mishra, 50, Narbendra Singh, 40, Pankaj Sankhwar, 32, and Sant Ram, 36. All of them had reportedly bought the government approved Madhuri brand liquor from the licensed shop.
Villagers said the salesman of the shop destroyed the liquor stock by setting it on fire as soon as reports of deaths spread.
The police had a tough time in dealing with villagers who put up a road blockade on the nearby highway seeking immediate arrest and compensation.
The family of Chunna Kushwaha heckled the officials while they were trying to persuade them to send the body for autopsy. The body could be sent for autopsy only after Kanpur Dehat DM Rakesh Singh and SP Ratan Kant Pandey assured action in the case.
DM said a case was being registered against the contractor and salesman of the shop.
“The excise department is inspecting all liquor shops looking for desi liquor sent under batch 442. Liquor of this batch is believed to be poisonous and as per official wholesale records of Madhuri brand, the liquor wasn’t supplied in Kanpur and Kanpur Dehat under this batch,” said the DM.
In the evening three cases were registered against former SP minister Ram Swarup Singh Gaur and his two grandsons Vinay Singh and Neeraj Singh with Roora police.
They have been charged under section 304, 328 of IPC on complaints of three close relatives of victims.
The Kanpur police investigating the four Saturday deaths have found that illicit liquor was being sold from the licensed shops in Kanpur and Kanpur Dehat districts.
Last night, the police raided the gaushala of Vinay Singh in Fazalgunj and recovered chemicals apart from stock of liquor.
Vinay is a known name in illicit liquor business. He has surrendered before the Roora police in Kanpur Dehat following the six deaths.
His brother Neeraj Singh was arrested by Kanpur police. Singh had contested assembly elections in 2017 on SP ticket.
The officials admitted that spurious liquor being sold from licensed outlets was something serious and large-scale investigations were needed.