Punjab liquor toll 112, autopsy delay angers families

PK Jaiswar & Gurbaxpuri
Tribune News Service
Amritsar/Tarn Taran, Aug 2

With 25 more deaths in Tarn Taran and one in Amritsar, the toll in the spurious liquor tragedy climbed to 112 today.

On the fourth day since the Thursday tragedy, the number of dead rose to 88 in the border district of Tarn Taran, while six persons were undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital. Two others had been referred to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH), Amritsar.

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Similarly, one person from Madepur colony in Amritsar’s Muchhal village, undergoing treatment at the GNDH, lost his life. His brother, having already lost eyesight, was battling for life at the hospital. One person was referred from Batala and his condition was also stated to be critical. The unprecedented number of deaths has not only left families shattered but also prolonged their wait for bodies due to a delay in post-mortem. Doctors are working overtime to complete the autopsies.

Balkar Singh of Muchhal village said Joga Singh, who died on Friday, was cremated today as the family had to wait for two days to get the autopsy done. “Due to non-availability of doctors at Baba Bakala Civil Hospital, the post-mortem could be conducted today only,” he said.

Similarly, Sajan Singh of Kadgill village, who had been doing rounds of the Tarn Taran Civil Hospital for the past three days, finally received his father Harjinder Singh’s body after the post-mortem was conducted today.

Lakhwinder Singh, a relative of Kaka Kandiala’s Satnam Singh (35) who died yesterday, said they were still awaiting the post-mortem.

Dr Rohit Mehta, Senior Medical Officer, Tarn Taran Civil Hospital, said they could currently conduct simultaneous autopsies on two bodies. “Our teams are working overtime to complete the autopsies. The sheer number of deaths has overwhelmed the facility,” he said. “Yesterday, our teams worked till 8 pm and conducted post-mortem on 13 bodies. We have already conducted 10 autopsies today,” said Dr Mehta, adding the doctors were still at work.