Recommendations by panel formed to probe Sangrur hooch deaths ignored
Chandigarh: Less than five months after a committee of three IAS officers, which probed 20 deaths in Sangrur hooch tragedy, gave its observations and recommendations to stop such tragedies, the Majithia hooch tragedy has laid bare the government's response to stop recurrence of hooch deaths, and in the process, defeating the very purpose of the probe report of the panel, which included Punjab chief secretary K A P Sinha.
The high-level committee report, a copy of which is with the TOI and which a senior government functionary said was submitted to the state government in the beginning of January, noted that "periodic occurrence of such tragedy even in 21st century across India in different states in definitely a matter of concern." It observed that there was a "need to enhance both the capabilities and accountability of police & excise enforcement wings to effectively combat illicit brewing". Referring to the Punjab health and family welfare department, it observed, "There is an urgent need of the hour to properly regulate
Methyl Alcohol Supply chain
by putting in place consistent enforcement mechanism at district level to avoid any leakage of Methanol from its supply chain."
The report by Punjab chief secretary K A P Sinha, then excise commissioner Varun Roojam and then additional chief secretary (Industries) Tejveer Singh, also observed, "Intelligence- input gathering in the field is must for remaining one step ahead of the criminals. The Enforcement Wings of excise and police shall keep up-to-date information with specific regard to new methods of preparation of illicit liquor, sourcing methods of various inputs to checkmate nefarious designs of such criminals.
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" Emphasising on co-ordination between excise and police departments, the high level-committee noted in the report, "The coordination among officers of excise and police department at all levels and especially at grassroot level is a pre-requisite for ensuring that such incidents do not occur again in future. There is dire need to put in place a mechanism to periodically discuss ongoing issues/cases, share information and resources in this endeavor at the district level." Significantly, the report also referred to March 27, 2023 orders of Supreme Court while disposing off a special leave petition in which Punjab was a respondent, and reproduced the court order which read, "The State of Punjab is directed to continue the steps to stop the illegal manufacture and transportation of spurious liquor and to stop the illegal Bhatthis. As reported earlier, the local police shall be held responsible in any illegal Bhatthi in their area is found. The state is directed to act accordingly." The counsel appearing for the petitioner, former MLA Tarsem Jodhan, who had approached court alleging large scale illegal liquor manufacturing and sale in Punjab, had submitted that the investigations in the "earlier incidents" were not in the right directions and no further action was taken against the "real culprit, who actually manufactured and supplied the spurious liquor". The high level committee report noted, "Above orders of Supreme Court of India calls for bigger role of police department to root out the menace of illegal manufacture and transportation of spurious liquor and to stop the illegal bhatthis as rightly observed by the Apex Court." Notably, in August 2020, in one of the major hooch tragedies in Punjab, as many as 120 persons had lost lives after consuming the spurious liquor in Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur districts when Congress was at the helm of affairs in Punjab and Captain Amarinder Singh (who is now in BJP) was the chief minister. Then Congress MPs in Rajya Sabha Shamsher Singh Dullo and Partap Singh Bajwa (who is now leader of the opposition in Punjab) had put under scanner the functioning of Amarinder-led government in Punjab at that time over one of the worst hooch tragedy in the state. Dullo told the TOI on Tuesday, "I have been seeking action against illegal distilleries for long. But successive governments have failed to take action. Had any action taken after the 2020 hooch tragedy, the subsequent incidents could have been averted. But, there is political-police nexus."
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