After spurious liquor deaths in Ludhiana: Police arrest 2 vend employees, seize over 400 bottles for testing

Hindustan Times

7 days ago

In the aftermath of three suspicious deaths linked to the consumption of country-made liquor in Sanyas Nagar, Noorwala Road and Basti Jodhewal, police have arrested two employees of the liquor vend from where the victims allegedly purchased the liquor and seized over 400 bottles for testing.
The police have recovered 422 half-litre bottles of Rasbhari, a country-made liquor brand, from the same vend. While the bottles were legally labelled, they have been sent for chemical examination to determine if adulteration played a role in the deaths.
Rinku Kumar,40, Debi,27, and Mangu Sharma,32, reportedly consumed spurious liquor before falling critically ill. They later succumbed, prompting an immediate response from the Basti Jodhewal police. Their autopsy was conducted on Thursday and viscera samples were sent to the forensic science laboratory. The definitive cause of death will be known only after chemical analysis.
Inspector Jasvir Singh, station house officer of Basti Jodhewal police station, said, 'Onkar Singh and Sushil Kumar, both residents of Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, were arrested on Friday in connection with the case. Although the liquor seized was from a legally operating vend, the samples would be tested to confirm their safety.'
The two accused have been booked under Sections 105 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 61, 1, and 14 of the Excise Act. The arrests come amid growing public anger over regulatory oversight and enforcement.
Though the police acted swiftly, some senior excise officials, speaking off the record, appeared to downplay the severity of the situation. One official stated, '172 bottles of Rasbhari were sold on the night of the incident. If the liquor were adulterated, more people would have fallen ill.' The remark has drawn criticism and deepened suspicions of negligence or a potential cover-up.
Meanwhile, a massive cordon-and-search operation was launched late on Thursday night in areas around Bahadur Ke Road and Noorwala Road. Led by assistant commissioners (excise) Shivani and Inderjeet Singh Nagpal, and excise officers Amit Goyal and Ashok Kumar, the joint operation included 255 personnel—155 police officers and 100 from the excise department.
Punjab BJP treasurer Gurdev Sharma Debi visited the victims' families and extended financial aid of ₹1 lakh each from his personal funds.