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Time of India
14-05-2025
- Time of India
Amritsar hooch tragedy: Death toll rises to 23
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The death toll in the hooch tragedy here climbed to 23, with two more people dying in the Majitha area, police said on Wednesday. They said both the deceased hailed from Bhangwan more people have died in Majitha after drinking spurious liquor, taking the death toll to 23, a senior police official Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney also confirmed the death toll has reached who died after allegedly drinking spurious liquor in Majitha were mostly daily deaths were reported in Bhangali, Patalpuri, Marari Kalan, Talwandi Khumman, Karnala, Bhangwan and Therewal villages, officials have already arrested 10 people, including the alleged kingpin, in the Superintendent of Police (Majitha) Amolak Singh and Station House Officer of Majitha police station Avtar Singh for negligence, police officers of the excise department have also been suspended.A police probe revealed that methanol -- a chemical used in industrial products -- was procured in bulk online to prepare the toxic is a light, colourless organic chemical compound which is poisonous when ingested and is illegally added to alcoholic beverages as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, which is the normal consumable families were Kaur, who lost her brother Joginder Singh, said it would be difficult for her family to make ends meet family of Ramandeep Singh (38), who was from Bhangali Kalan village, is struggling to come to terms with the loss. He is survived by his wife and two Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased and said that the state government would bear the entire expense of education of the children of the separate cases have been registered at Majitha and Kathunangal police stations in Amritsar Rural under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the Excise Act and the SC/ST Act.
The Hindu
14-05-2025
- The Hindu
Punjab hooch tragedy: Two more people die, death toll rises to 23
The death toll in the hooch tragedy here climbed to 23, with two more people dying in the Majitha area, police said on Wednesday (May 14, 2025). They said both the deceased were from Bhangwan village. Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney confirmed the death toll has reached 23. Those who died after allegedly drinking spurious liquor in Majitha were mostly daily wagers. The deaths were reported in Bhangali, Patalpuri, Marari Kalan, Talwandi Khumman, Karnala, Bhangwan and Therewal villages, officials said. Police have already arrested 10 people, including the alleged kingpin, in the incident. Deputy Superintendent of Police (Majitha) Amolak Singh and Station House Officer of Majitha police station Avtar Singh were suspended for negligence, police said. Two officers of the excise department have also been suspended. A police probe revealed that methanol — a chemical used in industrial products — was procured in bulk online to prepare the toxic brew. Methanol is a light, colourless organic chemical compound which is poisonous when ingested and is illegally added to alcoholic beverages as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, which is the normal consumable alcohol. Manjit Kaur, who lost her brother Joginder Singh, said it would be difficult for her family to make ends meet now. The family of Ramandeep Singh (38), who was from Bhangali Kalan village, is struggling to come to terms with the loss. He is survived by his wife and two children. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday (May 13, 2025) announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh for the families of the deceased and said that the state government would bear the entire expense of education of the children of the victims. Two separate cases have been registered at Majitha and Kathunangal police stations in Amritsar Rural under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the Excise Act and the SC/ST Act.
Hindustan Times
14-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Hooch tragedies: 176 deaths in 5 years in Punjab but no lessons learnt
Since 2020, Punjab has witnessed the deaths of over 170 individuals due to spurious liquor but it seems no lessons have been learnt by the authorities. On Tuesday, at least 21 people, mostly daily wagers, died and 10 others were hospitalised after allegedly drinking spurious liquor in Majitha. Ten people, including the alleged kingpin, were arrested while deputy superintendent of police (Majitha) Amolak Singh and station house officer of Majitha police station Avtar Singh were suspended for negligence. A year ago, 20 people lost their lives in a hooch tragedy in Sangrur. Here too the spurious liquor was made using methanol as a base and was manufactured locally. Over the years, various probes and findings suggested course corrections but most of the reports have been consigned to the dustbin with the state administration only getting active after a tragedy. In this case, a fact-finding team comprising local officers conducted a probe and submitted a report to the government through the deputy commissioner. The probe committee, headed by the Dirba sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) with the deputy superintendent of police (DSP), station house officer (SHO), senior medical officer and an excise and taxation officer as its members, had studied the reason behind thriving illegal liquor business in the state. It had recommended the creation of a separate 'wing' in the Punjab Police focused on curbing the manufacture and sale of illicit liquor. As per the report, this wing would be dedicated to tracking bootlegging, especially in the border districts adjoining Haryana state, the report had said. However, these recommendations were neither discussed nor implemented. 'It was also recommended that excise department officials play a more proactive role as illegal hooch is not only a threat to people's lives but is also causing huge losses to the state exchequer. It affects the sale of country-made liquor in wine shops. I don't think that report was ever discussed anywhere,' an officer of this committee told HT on the condition of anonymity. A Punjab Police SIT, led by then ADGP (law and order) Gurinder Singh Dhillon, which probed the criminal angle in the case, had also suggested making local SHOs and DSPs responsible for the sale and manufacturing of illegal liquor. 'I could not complete the probe as I had opted to take voluntary retirement. But our SIT had suggested fixing the responsibility of the local SHO and his superior DSP. It is such a deep-rooted nexus that it is not possible that local police weren't aware of the sale of such liquor. In that probe, we had also found the need to have local law officers monitoring the sale of methanol,' said the former ADGP, who after his retirement had joined the Congress. In August 2020, during the Corona epidemic, when liquor vends were closed, Punjab faced yet another hooch tragedy, this time in the districts of Tarn Taran, Amritsar, and Batala. More than 135 people were reported dead. The incident sparked protests and renewed demands for more decisive action against those involved in the illicit alcohol trade. Interestingly, the police probe into this hooch tragedy, which was one of the worst in the country, had found an organised gang running this network. Then DGP Dinkar Gupta pushed for having Punjab Control of Organised Crime Act (PCOCA) like stringent laws to deal with such cases. However, after an initial push by then CM Capt Amarinder Singh-led state government, the introduction of the strict law as put on the backburner. 'Interestingly, in all major hooch tragedies, the use of methyl alcohol (methanol) was the reason behind the deaths. However, no regulation of law has come in place in Punjab,' a retired excise official said, pleading anonymity. Spurious liquor menace 2020 Over 135 people killed in Amritsar, Gurdaspur with Tarn Taran reporting 95 2024: 20 people died in Sangrur 2025: 21 dead in Majitha region of Amritsar district
The Print
13-05-2025
- The Print
Amritsar hooch tragedy: ‘Kingpin', 9 others arrested, Majitha DSP, SHO suspended for negligence
The Amritsar district administration received information Monday night about the deteriorating health of people from multiple villages in Majitha sub-division of the rural police district. Overall, 31 people who consumed the spurious liquor were admitted in hospital, of which 21 people succumbed. Majitha Deputy Superintendent of Police Amolak Singh and Station House Officer Sub-Inspector Avtar Singh were suspended for gross negligence and a departmental enquiry initiated against them. New Delhi: The Punjab Police Tuesday arrested 10 people including the alleged kingpin behind the distribution of spurious liquor that led to the deaths of 21 people in Amritsar district. Paying a visit to the epicentre of the tragedy, Bhangali village, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that no one, irrespective of their clout, will be spared because poor people have been killed in the tragedy. He announced Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia for the kin of the victims as well government jobs for family members. Mann said a police probe has so far revealed that the kingpin had ordered around 600 litres of methanol, adding that the entire supply chain will be established. Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said the district's medical team has been going door-to-door to check for symptoms. 'Gross negligence' The Punjab Police lodged two FIRs under sections 105 and 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 61A of the Excise Act and Section 3 of the SC/ST Act at Majitha and Kathunangal police stations in the district. Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said accused Sahib Singh had been identified as the main supplier of the methanol, along with local distributors and sellers Prabhjit Singh and Kulbir Singh, Ninder Kaur, Gurjant Singh, Arun alias Kala and Sikander Singh alias Pappu. Two methanol suppliers had also been identified—Pankaj Kumar alias Sahil and Arvind Kumar, owners of Ludhiana-based firm Sahil Chemicals. Amritsar Rural SSP Maninder Singh said Sahib Singh had ordered methanol via an online platform from Sahil Chemicals, and the substance was further handed over to local distributor Prabhjeet Singh in jerry cans from kingpin Sahib Singh. SSP Singh further said that another consignment of 600 litres of methanol ordered by Sahib Singh from Delhi had been seized by Patiala district police based on a tip-off. (Edited by Gitanjali Das) Also Read: Stoicism with a hint of anguish—a view of India-Pakistan tensions from border villages near Amritsar
