E-Paper
Amritsar hooch tragedy: Court extends remand of nine accused by 4 days
At the end of their two-day remand, all the 10 accused were produced in the local court. “Agreeing with the ground presented by the public prosecution, the court extended the police remand by four days more, officials added.
A local court on Friday extended the remand of 9 of the 10 accused arrested in connection with the sale of spurious liquor that claimed 27 lives in villages of Majitha sub-division in Amritsar district by four days, officials said.
At the end of their two-day remand, all the 10 accused were produced in the local court. “Agreeing with the ground presented by the public prosecution, the court extended the police remand by four days more, officials added.
Since Monday, when the incident came to light, 27 people, primarily daily-wage workers from villages including Bhangali, Patalpuri, Marari Kalan, Talwandi Khumman, Karnala, Bhagwan, and Threawal, have died. No deaths have been reported on Friday. The victims were admitted to Guru Nank Dev Hospital in Amritsar.
A woman accused, identified as Ninder Kaur, whose husband also died after consuming the hooch, was sent to 14-day judicial custody.
A police probe has revealed that methanol, a chemical used in industrial products, was procured in bulk via online platforms 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.
A total of 18 people have been named in FIRs 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.
