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Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Indian Express
Ludhiana 'hooch' deaths: Two employees from liquor vend arrested, 'cause of death' still unclear: Police
A day after three men from Ludhiana's Sanyas Nagar died after allegedly consuming Punjab-made liquor of 'Rasbhari' brand, the police arrested two employees of a local liquor vend from where they had bought the drink. Police however said that 'cause of death' was 'still unclear' as the autopsy and viscera examination reports were awaited. Inspector Jasbir Singh, SHO Basti Jodhewal police station, said that two employees of the vend, identified as Onkar Singh and Sushil Kumar- have been arrested. The vend was a legal one, he said. Asked why vend's employees have been held, the SHO said: 'Because the deceased men purchased liquor from these employees.' Police have also seized 422 quarter size bottles of 'Rasbhari' brand from the vend which will be sent for testing to ascertain if they were toxic or spurious, said the SHO. 'We are still awaiting the autopsy and viscera examination reports of the three deceased and only then cause of death would be ascertained,' added the officer. However, a senior police officer said that it was suspected that the three men might have consumed some intoxicant or drug before consuming the liquor or along with it, which led to the deaths. 'It is unlikely that the liquor was spurious because had it been the case, there would have been more fatalities as several customers had purchased the same brand from the vend. But nothing can be said as of now until the lab reports are not received.' Three men identified as – Rinku Kumar ,40, Debi, 27, and Mangu Sharma, 32- died after they had consumed liquor together late on Wednesday. An FIR was registered under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 3(5) of the BNS and Sections 61, 1, and 14 of the Excise Act at Basti Jodhewal police station against unidentified accused. Meanwhile, after the incident, the Excise Department launched a massive cordon-and-search operation to crackdown on illicit liquor sellers across Bahadur Ke Road and Noorwala Road in Ludhiana city Thursday late. The operation was led by Assistant Commissioners (Excise) Shivani and Inderjeet Singh Nagpal, and included about 255 personnel—155 from the police and 100 from the Excise Department. The Excise Department issued a statement reiterating its 'zero-tolerance' stance against illegal liquor supply networks. Meanwhile, Punjab BJP treasurer Gurdev Sharma Debi visited the families of the victims and extended financial aid of Rs 1 lakh each from his own pocket. Postmortems of the deceased were conducted on Thursday, and the viscera samples have been sent for chemical examination to the Forensic Science Laboratory. Divya Goyal is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Punjab. Her interest lies in exploring both news and feature stories, with an effort to reflect human interest at the heart of each piece. She writes on gender issues, education, politics, Sikh diaspora, heritage, the Partition among other subjects. She has also extensively covered issues of minority communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She also explores the legacy of India's partition and distinct stories from both West and East Punjab. She is a gold medalist from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, the most revered government institute for media studies in India, from where she pursued English Journalism (Print). Her research work on 'Role of micro-blogging platform Twitter in content generation in newspapers' had won accolades at IIMC. She had started her career in print journalism with Hindustan Times before switching to The Indian Express in 2012. Her investigative report in 2019 on gender disparity while treating women drug addicts in Punjab won her the Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity in 2020. She won another Laadli for her ground report on the struggle of two girls who ride a boat to reach their school in the border village of Punjab. ... Read More
Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
After spurious liquor deaths in Ludhiana: Police arrest 2 vend employees, seize over 400 bottles for testing
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.
Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: ‘Spurious' liquor death toll mounts to three
The death toll in the Ludhiana 'spurious' liquor rose to three as two more persons, who were admitted to hospital, died on Thursday morning. Rinku, 40, died on Wednesday night, while on Thursday morning two others identified as Debi, 27, and Mangu Sharma, 32, died. The trio had consumed country-made liquor 'Rasbhari' purchased from a local vend, officials said. The incident has exposed glaring contradictions between the Ludhiana district administration and the police department with no one providing clear-cut answers to the cause of deaths. The incident comes close to the heels of the Amritsar hooch tragedy in which 27 people, primarily daily-wage workers, died. The post-mortem of the trio was conducted on Thursday and the viscera has been sent to forensic science laboratory for chemical analysis, deputy commissioner Himanshu Jain said, adding that the doctors are not sure of the exact cause of death yet. 'We are waiting for the post-mortem and chemical report,' the DC said. Police have lodged an FIR under Sections 105 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 68, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act, stating that the victims died after consuming country-made liquor. The FIR has been lodged not on the complaint of the victim's kin but on the statement of one Anil Kumar—an acquaintance who admitted he was present when the victims consumed the liquor but claimed he didn't drink himself. Tehsildar Amritbir Singh, who visited the hospital on Wednesday, publicly claimed 'no smell of liquor was emitting from the bodies,' implying that alcohol may not be the cause. His statement directly contradicts the FIR, which was filed based on a witness account confirming consumption of the liquor. According to sources at the Civil hospital, Ludhiana intoxicants were found in the system of the deceased, although no 'smell of liquor' was detected. Ludhiana commissioner of police Swapan Sharma said that samples have been collected from vend from which the liquor was allegedly procured. 'Action will be taken after forensic verification,' he said. Kartar Singh, brother of victim Debi, accused the police of inaction. 'Drugs and illegal liquor sales are rampant in our area. If the police had cracked down earlier, my brother and the other two would still be alive,' he said. The victims came from marginalised and economically weak sections. Rinku was a beggar and leaves behind three children, Mangu worked at a sweet shop, and Debi was a daily wager. Their deaths, many fear, may soon be forgotten under bureaucratic jargon and forensic delays unless strong action is taken. Opposition slams govt Punjab Congress president and Ludhiana MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu said that chief minister Bhagwant Mann and the excise minister Harpal Singh Cheema should be held responsible for the deaths. Warring and Ashu condemned the AAP government's failure to control and prevent the production and supply of spurious liquor in the state. 'It's shocking. The victims had purchased the liquor reportedly from a government-approved vend. The manufacturers of spurious liquor have no fear of law,' Warring said. Pritpal Singh Baliawal, spokesperson for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said: 'Is this the 'Rangla Punjab' that Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann promised?' Balliawal demanded️ ₹10 lakh compensation and a job for each victim's family.
