Amritsar/Tarn Taran: With 25 more deaths in Tarn Taran and another in Amritsar, the toll in the spurious liquor tragedy in Punjab climbed to 112 on Sunday. Amritsar rural reported 13 deaths while 11 died in Gurdaspur’s Batala town. On the fourth day since the tragedy struck on Thursday, the number of dead rose to 88 in the border district of Tarn Taran, while six persons were undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital. Two others had been referred to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH), Amritsar.
Similarly, one person from Madepur colony in Amritsar’s Muchhal village, undergoing treatment at the GNDH, lost his life. His brother, having already lost eyesight, was battling for life at the hospital. One person was referred from Batala and his condition was also stated to be critical. The unprecedented number of deaths has not only left families shattered but also prolonged their wait for bodies due to a delay in post-mortem. Doctors are working overtime to complete the autopsies.
Balkar Singh of Muchhal village said Joga Singh, who died on Friday, was cremated as the family had to wait for two days to get the autopsy done. “Due to non-availability of doctors at Baba Bakala Civil Hospital, the post-mortem could be conducted today only,” he said.
Similarly, Sajan Singh of Kadgill village, who had been doing rounds of the Tarn Taran Civil Hospital for the past three days, finally received his father Harjinder Singh’s body after the post-mortem. Dr Rohit Mehta, Senior Medical Officer, Tarn Taran Civil Hospital, said they could currently conduct simultaneous autopsies on two bodies. “Our teams are working overtime to complete the autopsies. The sheer number of deaths has overwhelmed the facility,” he said. “Yesterday, our teams worked till 8 pm and conducted post-mortem on 13 bodies. We have already conducted 10 autopsies today,” said Dr Mehta, adding the doctors were still at work.
The police have so far arrested 25 people in more than 100 raids in the three affected districts, along with several other places in and around the Rajpura and Shambhu border. According to the Excise Commissioner, though reports of the chemical analysis of the material seized in various raids are yet to come, a preliminary check showed that the material was denatured spirit, generally used in the paint and hardware industries.
Following raids, a large amount of spurious liquor, drums and storage cans were recovered from the accused and have been sent for chemical analysis. According to officials, some of the families of the deceased refused to record their statements, whereas some held protests at Muchhal village, seeking compensation from the government. The family members of deceased Kirpal Singh kept his body at the protest site and demanded a compensation of Rs 10,00,000 while seeking strict action against the liquor mafia.
Many also threatened that they would block the Amritsar-Delhi National Highway if their demands were not met. Khadoor Sahib MP Jasbir Singh Dimpa, Jandiala MLA Sukhwinder Singh Danny and Senior Superintendent of Police Dhruv Dhaiya reached the spot to pacify the protesters.
Dimpa announced Rs 100,000 compensation each to the families of the deceased. The family members, however, demanded higher compensation. The Punjab government has ordered a magisterial inquiry by Divisional Commissioner of Jalandhar into the incident. Joint Excise and Taxation Commissioner Punjab and SPs (Investigation) of the districts concerned will also be a part of the team.
Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal has demanded a judicial probe into the incident, while the Aam Aadmi Party said CM Amarinder Singh should resign over one of the biggest hooch tragedies in the state.
