Punjab hooch tragedy: Death toll rises to 21, kingpin among 10 arrested, Majitha DSP and SHO suspended

The death toll in the Punjab hooch tragedy has risen to 21, with 10 individuals, including the alleged kingpin Sahib Singh, arrested for their role in distributing spurious liquor in Amritsar’s Majitha area, police said on Tuesday. Punjab Police suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Amolak Singh and Station House Officer (SHO) Sub-Inspector Avtar Singh for “gross negligence” in discharging their duties, resulting in the tragic incident, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said. Departmental inquiries have been initiated against the officers.

The arrested kingpin, identified as Sahib Singh, reportedly sourced the methanol for the illicit liquor from Ludhiana-based Sahil Chemicals, owned by Pankaj Kumar alias Sahil and Arvind Kumar. Other local distributors and sellers, including Prabhjit Singh, Kulbir Singh, Ninder Kaur, Gurjant Singh, Arun alias Kala, and Sikander Singh alias Pappu, were also taken into custody.

600 litres of toxic chemicals ordered online

According to police, preliminary investigations revealed that Sahib Singh had ordered 600 litres of methanol online, which was used to produce the deadly liquor. Senior Superintendent of Police (Amritsar Rural) Maninder Singh said a consignment of methanol ordered from a Delhi-based firm is still in transit, and excise and police teams have been dispatched to seize it.

CM visits victims’ families, announces compensation

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met with the families of the victims in Majitha, expressing his condolences and vowing strict action against those responsible. He announced that each affected family would receive financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh and assured them of all possible support. Mann said, “We have suspended local DSP, excise inspector and several other officials for negligence. We will not spare anyone involved in this poison trade, whether they are powerful politicians or police officials.”

No tolerance for drug menace

The chief minister also reiterated his government’s commitment to eradicating the drug menace in the state. “Under our ‘war against drugs’ campaign, we will not allow any kind of toxic substances to be sold in Punjab,” he said, adding that the illegal alcohol network exposed in this case likely involved collusion at multiple levels, including political and administrative support.

Cases registered, investigation underway

Two separate cases have been registered at the Majitha and Kathunangal police stations in Amritsar Rural under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relevant sections of the Excise Act, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

DGP Yadav said the investigation is ongoing to uncover the full extent of the operation and bring all those involved to justice. “We all stand united in grief and in our resolve to ensure that justice is served and such tragedies are prevented in the future,” he said.