‘Spurious’ liquor claims four lives

THREE OF THE DECEASED BELONGED TO SHAMDI VILLAGE IN SONEPAT, WHILE THE FOURTH VICTIM WAS FROM BURSHAM VILLAGE IN PANIPAT

ROHTAK: Four persons, including three from Sonepat’s Shamdi village, have died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor, police said on Tuesday.

The fourth victim is from Panipat’s Bursham village. The condition of four others, all from Shamdi village, is stated to be critical. Three of them are undergoing treatment at Bhagat Phool Singh Medical College for Women in Khanpur Kalan in Sonepat and one at a private hospital in Rohtak.

The deceased have been identified as Ajay Kumar, 28, Sunil, 30, and Surender, 42, of Shamdi and Anil, 30, of Bursham. Three of them, except Surender, were working as sweepers at a sugar mill in Panipat.

Post-mortem to ascertain if liquor was spurious, say police

Gohana deputy superintendent of police Mukesh Jakhar said, “the post-mortem report will reveal whether the liquor was spurious or not. We are in the process of registering an FIR after recording the statements of those undergoing treatment.”

According to police, Ajay and Sunil had consumed liquor with Anil and his brother in Panipat on Sunday.

“After returning to Shamdi village, Ajay and Sunil consumed the same liquor with five other persons, including Surender. When Ajay returned from cremation of Anil from Panipat, he and others from Shamdi too complained of loose motions and vomiting.

“After their health deteriorated, all of them were rushed to Bhagat Phool Singh medical college for women at Khanpur Kalan, where three of them died on Tuesday,” Sonepat police spokesman Ravindra Kumar said.

Family members demand probe into deaths

A police official said the family members of Anil cremated his body after considering that he died of heart attack on Monday, but now they suspect that he also died after consuming the liquor. A pall of gloom descended on Shamdi village and the locals demanded a thorough probe into the incident.