DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday visited the Gujran village in the Sangrur district to meet the families of those who died due to suspected consumption of spurious liquor here. Mann said police have registered a murder case in the incident.

"FIR under Section 302 (of the IPC) has been registered against 10 accused. Killing somebody by giving poison is a murder," he said.

The chief minister added that those involved in selling spurious liquor will be nabbed.

"We are trying to find out if these accused have more links in Punjab. If there are more gangs selling spurious liquor, they will also be arrested and booked under Section 302," Mann said.

He added that some youths have informed him that 'chitta' (synthetic drugs) was also distributed in the village. The CM said that action will be taken against those found involved in such illegal activities.

The Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab has been under fire from the Opposition over the hooch tragedy, which claimed 20 lives in his home district Sangrur.

BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh on Saturday alleged that the tragedy was the result of a "liquor scam" that has been going on in the state under the patronage of the AAP government.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have also sought the resignation of Excise Minister Harpal Singh Cheema over the incident.

Cheema also visited Sangrur on Sunday to meet the families of the victims. "We stand by these families. Whatever support they require, we will provide," he said.

The minister added that those involved in the incident will be given exemplary punishment.

A four-member special investigation team (SIT), led by Additional Director General of Police Gurinder Singh Dhillon, was set up on Saturday to probe the incident.

Addressing the media in Chandigarh on Saturday, Dhillon said the police have invoked section 61-A of the Excise Act in all three FIRs lodged in connection with the case at Dirba, City Sunam and Cheema police stations.

Section 61-A is punishable with imprisonment for life or the death penalty, Dhillon said.

The police have arrested eight out of 10 identified accused in connection with the tragedy, he told the media.

Alcohol containing methanol content was used for making spurious liquor, the ADGP said on Saturday.

Eleven people are undergoing treatment at Patiala's Rajindra Hospital and six at the Civil Hospital in Sangrur after the suspected consumption of spurious liquor, officials said.

They added that the 20 casualties were reported from Gujran, Tibbi Ravidas Pura, and Dhandoli Khurd villages in Dirba and Sunam blocks in the Sangrur district.
(editor@dailyworld.in)