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Haryana: 2 more succumb as spurious liquor toll touches 20; three arrested
So far, 13 people have been arrested in the case; the kingpin, Ankit Alias Mougali, is still on the run
With two more people losing their lives due to suspected consumption of spurious liquor in Haryana on Monday, the death toll in the suspected case in the state has risen to 20.
The deceased were identified as Sushil, 40, a resident of Saran village and accused Ramesh, alias Bhindi, 35, of Mandebari village in Yamunanagar. He was among the seven men arrested by the local police in connection with the illegal liquor trade case, a day after six deaths were initially reported.
SP Ganga Ram Punia said Ramesh had also consumed the same batch of liquor and was admitted to a local hospital due to his health condition.
Later, he was referred to PGIMER, Chandigarh, where he breathed his last on Monday, he said.
With this, eight deaths have been reported in Mandebari, three each in Panjeto Ka Majra and Saran, two in Mangloura and one in Phoosgarh village of the district. Two deaths were reported in bordering Ambala.
3 illegal liquor traders arrested in Yamunanagar
A spokesperson of the Yamunanagar police said they have also arrested three liquor traders identified as Surender Kumar, Raj Kumar and Rajesh Kumar, all residents of Saran village, taking the total arrests to 13.
Four men have been arrested in Ambala, while the kingpin Ankit alias Mougali, is yet to be nabbed.
In view of the tragedy, the Haryana Police carried out state-wide raids on Diwali against those involved in the illegal liquor trade.
DGP Shatrujeet Kapur, in a statement, said 843 teams carried out the raids at 3,110 locations in the state, arresting 210 accused and recovered 5,774 bottles of country-made liquor, 48 bottles of English liquor, 183 bottles of home-made (kachchi) liquor and 1,440 liters of laahan.
Vij should resign: Udai Bhan
Congress state president Udai Bhan sought the resignation of home minister Anil Vij and financial assistance of ₹50 lakh to the families of the deceased during his visit to Yamunanagar.
“The drugs and illegal liquor have reached every nook and corner of the state and there is no coordination between the home and excise departments,” said Bhan during a press conference.
“The home minister, who claims to be a gabbar, is the most incompetent one…..also; such illegal trades can’t take place without the involvement of the police. This is a serious lapse and the home minister should resign. He is unable to maintain the law and order,” he added.
The Congress leader said he is shocked to know that the manufacturing of the illegal liquor took place in Ambala, the home district of Vij, and the prime accused Ankit still remains at large.
He also met the families of the deceased and said, “The government should provide them financial assistance of ₹50 lakh and free education to the kids. They should also ensure that such incidents don’t take place in the future.”
The Hodal MLA also acknowledged the involvement of Mangeram Marupur, a local delegate with the Pradesh Congress Committee, who has already been arrested and announced his suspension, while demanding a judicial probe by a serving, sitting, or retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court.
“I was told that the chief minister was in the town for his Jan Samvad when the first death took place. He should have visited the family at the first instance,” he added.
