Seventeen people have lost their lives, and nearly 10 others are in critical condition after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in villages within the Majitha block of Punjab’s Amritsar district, police reported.
The majority of the victims were residents of Bhangali Kalan, Thariewal, Sangha, and Marari Kalan areas of the block. Those in critical condition have been admitted to the Amritsar Civil Hospital.
Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney visited the hospital to assess the situation and confirmed the death toll, which, according to authorities, may increase further.
“We have learnt that all bought the liquor from a single source on Sunday evening. Some of them died on Monday morning, and locals cremated them without informing the police. Some people hid the fact and said the victims died of heart attack. We received information about the deaths late on Monday,” said Majitha SHO Aabtaab Singh.
A spokesperson for the Punjab government stated that two FIRs have been registered, and the main suppliers — Prabhjit Singh and Sahib Singh — have been arrested from Rajasansi. Additionally, four other accused who allegedly purchased the liquor from these suppliers and distributed it to the villages have also been apprehended.
Investigative teams have also started tracing links to other states to identify and apprehend the firms responsible for supplying the illicit liquor, the spokesperson added.
This incident comes five years after a major hooch tragedy in the Majha region, when approximately 130 people died and about a dozen lost their eyesight after consuming tainted liquor in Tarn Taran, Amritsar, and Gurdaspur districts during July and August 2020. Tarn Taran alone had reported around 80 fatalities in that incident.
