Punjab: 21 killed after consuming spurious liquor in Sangrur
The death toll in Sangrur, Punjab, due to suspected consumption of spurious liquor reached 21 on Saturday. The chief medical officer (CMO) of Sangrur told India Today that at least 40 people were admitted to the hospital after consuming the contaminated liquor. Soon after the incident, the Punjab Police launched an investigation and nabbed six people in the case. Following their interrogation, the police recovered at least 200 liters of ethanol, a toxic chemical, from a house.
Know about casualties
The hooch incident came to the fore on Wednesday (March 20), when four people died unexpectedly in the Sunam neighborhood. Locals said they had taken spurious liquor. The situation deteriorated after more people in the region and surrounding areas were hospitalized. On Thursday, four patients died while receiving treatment at Patiala's Rajindra Hospital. Over the next two days, at least 13 more people succumbed to "liquor poisoning" at various hospitals, bringing the overall death toll to 21.
SIT formed to probe incident
The Punjab government has constituted a "high-level" Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged hooch incident. Announcing the probe, the Punjab Police posted on X, "A High-level Committee has been set up to supervise the uncovering of the backward and forward linkages in a professional & scientific manner to unearth the nexus behind the whole matter. The SIT will be headed by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Law and Order Gurinder Dhillon.
Read: Punjab Police's post about Sangrur incident
Punjab police file murder case in Sangrur incident
Before the Sangrur tragedy, ten men had died in the Dirba block due to the intake of spurious liquor, per the Hindustan Times. Sunam Deputy Superintendent of Police, GS Dhaliwal, said a murder case had already been filed. Meanwhile, the police claimed to have seized 200 liters of ethanol, 156 bottles of alcohol, and 210 bottles containing suspected spurious liquor from Sangrur. They also recovered 4,500 empty bottles and a bottling machine, among other items, from the district.
