Published 17:55 IST, August 8th 2020
Punjab Hooch tragedy: Congress govt revokes security to own MP who slammed CM's 'inaction'
Amid the ongoing tiff between Punjab CM Amarinder Singh and the Congress' two Rajya Sabha MPs over the hooch tragedy, govt revoked security to one RS MP
Amid the ongoing tiff between Punjab CM Amarinder Singh and the Congress' two Rajya Sabha MPs over the hooch tragedy, the Punjab government on Saturday, has withdrawn state police security from Congress MP Pratap Singh Bajwa after an assessment. The state government has concluded that Bajwa had virtually no threat perception and was now getting central security directly accorded by Union Home Ministry. Two Congress MPs- Pratap Singh Bajwa and Shamsher Singh Dullo had slammed the Capt. Amarinder Singh government over the hooch tragedy which has killed 121.
Punjab govt withdraws state police security from Cong MP
Punjab Congress seeks action on party MPs
Earlier on Tuesday, Punjab Congress wrote to party chief Sonia Gandhi seeking disciplinary action against them. Both Dullo and Bajwa demanded an “impartial and thorough” probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate into the illegal liquor business in Punjab. The MPs - who are also ex-party presidents in the state - alleged that it was the failure of the CM and that the tragedy could have been averted if Singh had acted in their complaints. They have also questioned inaction against govt officials and police, who they allege were involved in the illicit liquor business.
Punjab Hooch tragedy
121 people have died in Punjab’s Amritsar, Batala, and Tarn Taran districts since Wednesday night after consuming spurious liquor. Police stated that Moga-based hand sanitiser manufacturer - Ravinder Singh Anand had allegedly bought three cans of 200 litres each of the spurious liquor at Rs 11,000 a drum from the kingpin - Ludhiana-based paint business owner Rajesh Joshi. Each of these bottles was diluted by 10 percent to make 46 bottles, which was then further diluted by an accused - Balwinder Kaur, by 50% water and sold a bottle of the diluted spirit for Rs 100. Police have identified five businessmen - Gobinder, Ravinder, Darshana Rani, Triveni Chouhan and Harpreet Singh apart from Joshi himself.
Punjab Police have arrested 54 people - including the father-son duo Harjit Singh and Shamsher Singh - who have been charged with murder. A manhunt as been launched for Ludhiana-based paint business owner Rajesh Joshi and others, who had initially allegedly supplied the three drums of spurious liquor which caused the deaths. While 887 raids have been conducted since July 31, Punjab Police has launched a departmental inquiry against two deputy superintendents of police and four station house officers have been suspended for negligence. The CM has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh per victim.
Updated 17:55 IST, August 8th 2020