PUNE: The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the recent hooch tragedy in Pune that claimed 20 lives and left many eight hospitalised after allegedly consuming methanol-laced liquor.
In a significant development, the commission has initiated proceedings on its own and sought detailed reports from the Pune police commissioner, the Pimpri-Chinchwad police commissioner, and the Maharashtra state excise department regarding the incident and the action taken so far.
The commission has issued notices to the concerned authorities and directed them to submit their responses before its bench to appear before the commission on August 4 at 11 am to submit their response.
The notices seek information on the circumstances that led to the tragedy, the preventive measures in place, the enforcement action taken against those involved in the illegal liquor trade, and the steps being undertaken to prevent such incidents in the future.
The commission is expected to examine whether there was any violation of the victims’ right to life and whether government agencies failed in their duty to prevent the tragedy.