Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann meeting a family member of one of the victims. (image-X/BhagwantMann)
Amritsar, Punjab: Two more people died in the Majitha area, taking the death toll in the hooch tragedy to 23, the police said on Wednesday. Both individuals reportedly lived in the Bhangwan village. Their death comes after 21 people from seven villages in Majitha died after consuming spurious liquor.
Ten others are reportedly undergoing treatment while the condition of four of them remains critical.
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The police have arrested 10 people, including the alleged kingpin, in the case so far.
The majority of those who died were small-scale workers and daily wage labourers from Marari Kalan, Bhangali Kalan, Threawal, Patalputi, Talwandi Khumman, Karnala and Bhangwan villages.
Since 2020, Punjab has witnessed the deaths of more than 170 people due to hooch.
Promising that those responsible for the deaths of innocent people will not be spared, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the family of every deceased. “These are not just deaths; they are murders,” he said.
ਮਜੀਠਾ ਦੇ ਕਈ ਪਿੰਡਾਂ ‘ਚ ਜ਼ਹਿਰੀਲੀ ਸ਼ਰਾਬ ਪੀਣ ਕਰਕੇ ਲਗਭਗ 17 ਲੋਕਾਂ ਦੀ ਮੌਤ ਹੋਣ ਦੀ ਦੁੱਖਦਾਈ ਘਟਨਾ ਵਾਪਰੀ। ਹੁਣ ਤੱਕ ਸਾਡੀ ਪੁਲਿਸ ਨੇ 10 ਮੁਲਜ਼ਮਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਗ੍ਰਿਫ਼ਤਾਰ ਕਰ ਲਿਆ ਹੈ। ਭਾਵੇਂ ਕੋਈ ਕਿੰਨਾ ਵੱਡਾ ਅਫ਼ਸਰ ਜਾਂ ਲੀਡਰ ਸ਼ਾਮਲ ਹੋਇਆ, ਕਿਸੇ ਵੀ ਦੋਸ਼ੀ ਨੂੰ ਬਖ਼ਸ਼ਿਆ ਨਹੀਂ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ। ਕਿਉਂਕਿ ਇਹ ਮੌਤਾਂ ਨਹੀਂ, ਇੱਕ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਕਤਲ… pic.twitter.com/51uN1UzGJo
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) May 13, 2025
The state chief minister also added that his government would bear the entire expense of the education of the victims’ children.
Meanwhile, the state’s opposition parties slammed the CM and the Punjab excise minister, Harpal Singh Cheema, and demanded accountability.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Amolak Singh of Majitha subdivision and Police Station Majitha Station House Officer (SHO) Avtar Singh were suspended for gross negligence in discharging their duties. Departmental inquiries were also initiated.
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In August 2020, during the Corona epidemic, when liquor shops were closed, Punjab faced yet another hooch tragedy where more than 135 people were reported dead. It was one of the worst hooch tragedies in the country.
The incident sparked protests and renewed demands for more decisive action against those involved in the illicit alcohol trade.
A police probe into the incident had found an organised gang running the network. While the then DGP Dinkar Gupta pushed for having Punjab Control of Organised Crime Act (PCOCA) like stringent laws to deal with such cases, under the then Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh-led state government, the introduction of the strict law as put on the backburner.
