Chandigarh, Dec 18 (PTI) Five FIRs were registered and 36 arrests made following the deaths last month of 20 people from alleged consumption of spurious liquor in Haryana’s Yamunanagar and Ambala districts, Home Minister Anil Vij told the assembly on Monday.
According to reports from the Yamunanagar and Ambala superintendents of police, 20 deaths — including two in Ambala — occurred due to the consumption of suspected spurious liquor, Vij said.
Five FIRs have been lodged and 36 arrests made from the two districts, Vij said while replying to a Calling Attention motion moved by the opposition Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).
On another issue, Vij said there were 34 deaths due to drug overdose from 2017 to 2022.
Giving details of the spurious liquor case, Vij said the Yamunanagar superintendent of police had earlier reported that the cops received an information about a resident of Mandebri village being admitted in hospital last month due to consumption of suspected spurious liquor.
“Investigations led to the revelation that spurious liquor was sold from an illegal vend operated by one Rocky, a resident of the same village. A criminal case was registered and meticulous investigation carried out,” Vij told the assembly.
“The investigation led to an illegally-run factory at Dhanaura village in Ambala district where the spurious liquor was manufactured and distributed. In total, five FIRs have been registered in this matter,” he added.
A thorough investigation was carried out by police from the two districts, leading to the arrest of 36 accused, he said.
All the arrested accused are in judicial custody except one, who had also consumed the spurious liquor and died during treatment, Vij added.
Congress MLA Kiran Choudhary and the INLD’s Abhay Chautala said this is not the first time that a “hooch tragedy” has taken place in the state but the government has not learnt its lessons.
Standard operating procedures that should be strictly imposed are lacking. Loopholes are being exploited by the accused, Choudhary said.
As the opposition members targeted the government over the deaths, Vij said the police have been taking prompt action at various levels to prevent the illegal and spurious liquor business.
From 2016 to 2023, 97,895 cases have been registered, 1,04,843 (1.04 lakh) people arrested and thousands of liquor bottles seized, Vij added.
To plug the leakage of liquor from factories (distilleries/bottling plants etc), “various steps have been taken, in which a state-of-the-art CCTV camera system has been installed in all distilleries and bottling plants in the state along with an integrated control room at the head office”, according to the minister.
Live feed from these cameras is made available at the head office and the district level, he said.
CCTV cameras have also been made mandatory at all urban vends covering the relevant areas, including entry, exit, billing counters and in taverns at entry and exit points.
He said regular checking of liquor vends is being done to ensure that there is no illegal sale of liquor. PTI SUN SZM
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