DW BUREAU / chandigarh It appears that a "sinister nexus" between the liquor mafia and those occupying high offices in the BJP-JJP dispensation in Haryana is "obstructing investigation into the liquor scam," the opposition Congress said on Saturday. Congress' national spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged there was a liquor scam in the state during the COVID-triggered lockdown. "Despite the closure of liquor vends and prohibition on sale of liquor, there were open instances of smuggling and liquor sale at exorbitant prices," he said. "The facts prima facie demonstrate a sinister nexus between the liquor mafia and those occupying high offices in the government that is obstructing the investigation into the liquor scam," Surjewala claimed. Last month, the M L Khattar government in the state had set up a probe team to investigate the theft of liquor bottles from two godowns in Sonipat district. The Congress leader said the government had constituted a Special Enquiry Team (SET) but it lacked powers as only a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted under sections 2(h) and 2(o) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) was empowered to conduct a comprehensive investigation by visiting every godown linked to the alleged scam, confiscate documents, conduct raids, check records of the Excise Department and the police, and arrest the culprits. "The present special enquiry team has no such powers," he said, questioning if the government wanted to get to the bottom of the alleged scam. On May 11, the government ordered SET to be constituted, which has no power to conduct investigation nor any power of confiscation of records or summoning witnesses or seizing record of excise," he said. (editor@dailyworld.in)