Punjab CM orders suspension of top officials in hooch tragedy; Rs 2 lakhs ex-gratia for deceased

In the recent development of Punjab illicit liquor case, Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered the suspension & inquiry against top officials and also announced Rs 2 lakhs ex-gratia compensation to each of the families of the deceased, most of whom are from Tarn Taran district.

Chandigarh: Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday ordered the suspension and inquiry against of 7 excise & taxation officers along with 2 DSPs and 4 SHOs of police in connection with the hooch tragedy.

According to officials, the inquiry will look into the facts and circumstances leading to incidents, as well as into any other issues connected or relevant to the incidents.

As the death toll in the hooch tragedy rose to 86, Punjab Police on Saturday arrested 17 more people in a massive crackdown spanning more than 100 raids. The total number of arrests in the case has gone up to 25, officials said.

Strict action will be taken against any public servant or others found complicit in the case, said the chief minister, describing the police and excise department failure to check the manufacturing and sale of spurious liquor as shameful. Nobody will be allowed to get away with feeding poison to our people, he added.

Meanwhile, Singh has also announced Rs 2 lakhs ex-gratia compensation to each of the families of the deceased, most of whom are from Tarn Taran, which accounts for 63 deaths, followed by Amritsar Rural at 12 and Gurdaspur at 11.