Punjab chief minister (CM) Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday directed the director general of police (DGP) to book those directly involved in the hooch tragedy for murder.
Terming it as the biggest tragedy of recent times, the CM promised justice for the victims of the case. He also mooted enhancement of punishment for spurious/illicit liquor manufacturing and smuggling under the Excise Act, to ensure that repeat offenders remain behind the bars and are not able to come out easily to resume the crime.
The CM’s directives on the hooch tragedy came during two separate video conferences – one of the Cabinet meeting and the other a review meeting of the case with top police and administrative officials.
During the Cabinet meeting, several ministers agreed to the suggestion of advocate general Atul Nanda that a strict law such as Punjab Control of Organised Crime Act (PCOCA) was needed to fight illicit liquor smuggling. The CM asked the sub-committee, set up under Brahm Mohindra, to examine the provisions of the proposed law, finalise and submit its report at the earliest.
He agreed with Sukhjinder Randhawa and other ministers that PCOCA could help control hardcore criminals and act as deterrent to gangsters, who continue to deal in organised crime even from prison.
The council of ministers also observed a two-minute silence as a mark of homage to the victims of the tragedy.
“Clean up the border areas”
“This has to stop,” he said, adding that the illicit liquor business had been going on in border areas for a long time, with use of lahan, but now it had assumed an even more dangerous proportion with the new trend of smuggling from neighbouring states.
10-day deadline for ex gratia
Pointing out that the victims were the poorest of the poor, Capt Amarinder set a 10-day deadline for the DCs and police officers to identify and process cases to provide targeted additional relief for their families. The CM had announced ₹2 lakh ex-gratia compensation to the families of each of the victims of the tragedy, in which the toll stands at 113 at present, with several more under treatment, which is being provided free in hospitals.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CASE
Of the total deaths, 83 have been reported from Tarn Taran distirct alone.
July 31: CM orders magisterial inquiry by
divisional commissioner Jalandhar into the suspicious deaths of 21 people, allegedly
due to consumption of spurious liquor, in Amritsar, Batala and Tarn Taran
-Police arrest Balwinder Kaur, a resident of Muchhal, under section 304 of the
Indian Penal Code (IPC), section 61/1/14 of the Excise Act
August 1: Death toll rises to 86
-Capt
suspends seven excise officials and six policemen
-Amarinder Singh announces a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of
the victims
August 2: Delhi CM
Arvind Kejriwal asks Punjab government to handover the probe to the Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI) saying the state police has been not able to
crack the cases
-Punjab police arrests 17 more people after conducting more than 100 raids in
Tarn Taran, Amritsar Rural and Gurdaspur (Batala). The total arrests go up to
25.
August 5: DGP Dinkar
Gupta orders constitution of 2 special investigation teams (SITs) to fast-track
probe, which will be supervised by ADGP (law and force) Ishwar Singh
-Tragedy toll stands at 113
