Punjab hooch tragedy: Victims' families inconsolable; CM Mann announces ₹10 lakh compensation
Punjab hooch tragedy: Victims' families inconsolable; CM Mann announces ₹10 lakh compensation
Chandigarh/Amritsar Tears were not stopping from the eyes of Major Singh's mother as she could not come to terms that her 45-year-old son was no more, officials said on Tuesday.
Singh , a resident of Marari Kalan, was among 21 people, who died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Majitha in Punjab's Amritsar, they said.
The officials said that ten others were hospitalised.
The deaths were reported in Bhangali, Patalpuri, Marari Kalan, Talwandi Khumman, Karnala, Bhangwan and Therewal villages on Monday night, they added.
The villagers mourned the death of 21 people, who were mostly daily wagers.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday visited the victims' families and expressed grief over the deaths.
"He was the family's breadwinner. He has gone. What do we do now?" asked the wailing mother.
She said that her son was a daily wager.
Singh's wife Rajwant Kaur said that froth started coming out of his mouth after he consumed liquor.
"I could not understand what was happening to him. When I saw his condition was deteriorating, I raised an alarm," said Kaur.
"She came running to me and asked me to see what happened to your son. I gave him medicine," said Singh's mother.
His younger brother Sukhdev Singh said that he was motionless when they were about to take him to a hospital in Majitha and could not survive.
Gagan, 35, was also among the victims, who died after drinking spurious liquor. He was a resident of Karnala in Amritsar.
Gagan's elder brother Ravi Kumar said that his brother, a daily wager, died on Tuesday.
His condition worsened after he consumed liquor, he added.
Kumar said that his brother died before being taken to a hospital in Amritsar.
Kumar, who came after cremating Gagan's mortal remains, said he is survived by two daughters and a wife.
Earlier in the day, Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney met the victims' families and consoled them.
The chief minister later arrived in Majitha and met the victim's families.
Mann said that his government would not spare anyone, however affluent they may be, involved in the heinous crime of sale of spurious liquor, which led to the death of 21 people here.
He also announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh for the family of every deceased and said that the state government would bear the entire expense of education of the victims' children.
Mann also said that every possible help in terms of jobs and others would also be extended to these families in this hour of grief.
Several politicians also visited the affected villages and met the victims' families.
This is the second such major hooch tragedy that took place in just more than a year.
In March 2024, 20 people lost their lives after consuming spurious liquor in Sangrur district.
In 2020, 120 people died because of spurious liquor in Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Batala.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
