Published 16:10 IST, August 4th 2020
Punjab Hooch Tragedy: Congress seeks action against own party MPs for slamming Punjab CM
Furious at its Rajya Sabha MPs - Pratap Singh Bajwa and Shamsher Singh Dullo, Punjab Congress on Tuesday seeks disciplinary action against them by Sonia Gandhi
Furious at its Rajya Sabha MPs - Pratap Singh Bajwa and Shamsher Singh Dullo, Punjab Congress on Tuesday, plans to write to party chief Sonia Gandhi seeking disciplinary action against them. Both MPs had slammed the Capt. Amarinder Singh government over the hooch tragedy which has killed over 100. The Punjab CM has assured a strict crackdown on those responsible.
Punjab Congress seeks action on party MPs
Congress Rajya Sabha MPs slam Punjab CM
Earlier on Monday, 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 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. The CM has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh per victim.
Punjab Hooch tragedy
Over 100 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 37 people till date including five kingpins of the illicit liquor mafia that spanned several districts of the state. A manhunt as been launched for Ludhiana-based paint business owner Rajesh Joshi and eight others, who had initially allegedly supplied the three drums of spurious liquor which caused the deaths. Punjab Police has launched a departmental inquiry against two deputy superintendents of police and four station house officers have been suspended for negligence.
Updated 16:10 IST, August 4th 2020