Majitha -Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday said that the state government will not spare anyone, however affluent he may be, involved in the heinous crime of sale of spurious liquor which led to hooch tragedy in Amritsar district.
Interacting with the media persons after sharing condolences with the families of hooch tragedy, the Chief Minister said that these deaths are not merely accidents but they are murders, which have been caused due to greed of certain individuals, who are involved in this crime. He said that this is a clear murder and the state government will not allow the culprits to escape the severest of severe punishment. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that 17 precious lives have been lost due to the spurious liquor and the people responsible for it deserve no mercy as they did this crime deliberately.
The Chief Minister categorically said that this crime cannot be carried out without political patronage by the powerful politicians adding that this angle is being probed by the Police. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that 10 persons including the kingpin have been arrested adding that the Police has also identified the forward and backward linkages of the nexus involved in this barbaric crime. “Let me tell one thing very clearly, my government is firmly committed to ensure justice to the hapless families by ensuring exemplary punishment to the accused”, added Bhagwant Singh Mann.
The Chief Minister said that the connections of this nexus have been traced upto Delhi and every person involved in this crime will be put behind the bars by the state government. He said that it has come into light that 600 litres of online methanol was ordered by the perpetrators of this grave tragedy which was probably used for making spurious liquor. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the Police is looking into all the aspects of this tragedy to nail down the culprits and ensure exemplary punishment to them.
The Chief Minister said that the state government has already suspended four officers including one DSP, Station House Officer and two officers of Excise department for their complacency in checking the sale and supply of spurious liquor. He said that though this deep rooted nexus is very strong and has flexed its muscles due to open patronization by the previous regimes, this liquor mafia will be eliminated from the state. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that no one, whether a politician or a government servant, will be spared if they are found complicit in the hooch deaths.
The Chief Minister said that he has already directed the Punjab Police to crack down on this mafia as a part of the ongoing Yudh Nasheyan Virudh. He said that these mischievous forces took advantage of the Police focus on maintaining law and order amidst tension at India-Pakistan borders to satiate their greed at the cost of the lives of Punjabis. However, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that these people will have to pay the price for their sins and they will be taught a befitting lesson by the state government.
The Chief Minister said that it is unfortunate that the hooch tragedy has snatched the lone bread winners of the hapless families and around 17 persons have lost their lives. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the pattern of deaths was the same as was in the hooch tragedy that took place in the year 2020 at Tarn Taran. He said that the state government stands firmly with the families of the deceased in their hour of grief and it will leave no stone unturned to ensure justice for them.
The Chief Minister announced compensation worth Rs 10 lakh for the family of every deceased and said that the state government will bear the entire expense of education of the children of the victim. Likewise, he said that every possible help in terms of jobs and others will also be extended to these families in this hour of grief. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the state government is fully committed for the security and well being of these families adding that no stone will be left unturned for this noble cause.