21 die in Amritsar after drinking hooch; 10 held

Twenty-one people died and 10 were hospitalised after they consumed suspected spurious liquor in the Majitha subdivision of Amritsar on Sunday evening, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday, adding that 10 people have been arrested in connection with the case.

- Surjit Singh

Four officials, including Majitha deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and the local excise and taxation officer (ETO), were suspended on Tuesday, following the incident, they added.

Amritsar deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said that most of the victims hospitalised since Monday were daily wagers. Of the 10 people presently admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital in Amritsar, the conditions of four have deteriorated, hospital authorities said.

Sawhney said the victims had consumed the illicit liquor either on Sunday or Monday and started vomiting.

The deaths were reported from Bhangali, Patalpuri, Marari Kalan and Therewal villages in Majithia, officials said, adding that a police probe has revealed that methanol, a cheap, industrial alcohol that is lethal even in small quantities, was procured in a large order online to prepare the illicit liquor.

The Majithia police received information about the deaths late on Monday night. According to the villagers of Bhangali Kalan, the first person to die was Joginder Singh, 70.

"We learnt that they all bought the liquor from a single source on Sunday evening.

Some of them died on Monday morning, and the locals cremated them without informing the police. Some families also did not reveal that the victims had consumed the liquor and said they died of a heart attack," a police official said, asking not to be named.

"Nine persons, including the kingpin of the racket and several local distributors, have been arrested in connection with the illicit liquor trade.