Taking Priyanka cue, opposition demands probe into Agra hooch tragedy

In a tweet, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra highlighted that 200 deaths have been caused in a year because of spurious liquor in Uttar Pradesh

Opposition parties are exerting pressure for a fair probe and strict action against the guilty, after Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expressed concern over 13 deaths in Agra district caused by spurious liquor.

In a tweet Priyanka questioned why the UP government was going soft against the liqour mafia. (HT File Photo)

In a tweet, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra highlighted that 200 deaths have been caused in a year because of spurious liquor in Uttar Pradesh.

“Those involved are openly trading in spurious liquor while attacking journalists and police but to no action. Why is the state government going soft against these liquor mafia,” she questioned in her tweet.

A delegation of Congress leaders was in the affected villages of Deori, Garhi Jahan Singh, Kaulara Kalan Chitora on Friday. Former union minister Pradeep Jain Aditya and former state minister Satish Sharma and state secretary Amit Singh sought compensation of ₹20 lakh to each of the affected families and asked for a probe conducted by a high court judge.

Rizwan Raisuddin Prince from Samajwadi Party said that the state leadership of party has asked a delegation of SP leaders in Agra to visit the affected villages on Sunday where lives were lost due to spurious liquor.

“The properties of those found involved should be attached and sold. The sale proceeds should be used to compensate the affected families. Time and again such loss of lives surfaces and thus requires a long-lasting solution to save precious lives,” said Rahul Chaturvedi from Chanakya Sena, a social organisation in Agra.

‘Support India’, a voluntary organisation, has called for a protest to be held at the district headquarters on September 1. “We will raise the issue of spurious liquor because it is often the poor, mostly residing in villages, who are the losers. The network involved in the illegal sale of liquor in villages needs to be exposed,” said Suresh Chand Soni, convenor, Support India.