Hooch tragedy: Police yet to get viscera reports of victims

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 25

Though the police have got the forensic examination reports of the victims, who died in the hooch tragedy that claimed over 120 lives in three districts of Majha including Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Batala, it was still awaiting the viscera reports before presenting challan against the accused in the court.

According to police authorities, due to Covid-19 pandemic, the workload has increased in the forensic science laboratory at Kharar. “Further, only 50 per cent of staff could work at a time which has further delayed the viscera reports,” said SSP Tarn Taran, Dhruman Nimbale, while talking to The Tribune.

“The viscera reports would confirm how much quantity of methanol was there in the body of the victims that led to their deaths,” said Nimbale.

Tarn Taran alone witnessed the death of as many as 97 persons in the tragedy that shook the state government and Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh ordered a crackdown on bootlegging.

The Tarn Tarn police, who registered four different cases related to the tragedy, arrested 44 persons in the case while Amritsar rural police have nabbed eight persons, including a Ludhiana-based paint trader Rajeev Joshi who had allegedly supplied methyl alcohol or denatured spirit that was used to manufacture spurious liquor that led to series of deaths in the Majha.

The SSP said they had written to the forensic science laboratory in Kharar to provide viscera reports as soon as possible.

Nimbale said the police had completed all paperwork and documented the statements of the victims who got recuperated, family members of the deceased and opinion of doctors during the probe.

Amritsar rural police authorities said they had also written to the forensic lab authorities to take these cases on priority and provide viscera reports early, but they were yet to receive the same.

Man booked for abduction

Tarn Taran: The Goindwal Sahib police have booked Harpreet Singh of Jaura village on the charge of abducting a teenage girl, while the incident reportedly took place 10 days ago.

The police said the accused abducted her when she was on her way to attend stitching classes at Kot Mohammad Khan village. Moreover, the accused was a regular visitor to her house.

The police said that the accused had been booked under Sections 363 and 366-A of the Indian Penal Code.