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| Family members mourn the death of victims who were poisoned after consuming spurious liquor, in Saharanpur, Saturday. (PTI Photo) |
At least 70 people have lost their lives in the hooch tragedy in the
two adjoining districts in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, even as two
people have been arrested in this connection, reports PTI. In
Uttarakhand, the death toll rose to 36 on Sunday, with 11 more people
succumbing after consuming the spurious liquor in a village in Haridwar
district.
36 people have died in Saharanpur district which adjoins Uttarakhand,
according to an Uttar Pradesh government statement released Saturday
evening in Lucknow. The arrested father-son duo, Fakira and Sonu, told
police that they had procured the spurious liquor from Uttar Pradesh and
sold it in Balupur and its neighbouring villages in Uttarakhand’s
Haridwar district.
The two are residents of Balupur village, said two police officers
who held a joint press conference in Roorkee. The accused have told
interrogators that the liquor they had bought did not have its usual
colour and smelt of diesel, according to police.
“It was white like milk and smelt of diesel,” they said.
The victims, hailing from Haridwar district in Uttarakhand and
Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh, had consumed the liquor after the
‘tehravin’, the 13th day of mourning ritual, following a relative’s
death.
However, the Haridwar police chief has said that Efforts are underway
to nab the residents of Punden village of Saharanpur who manufactured
the illicit liquor. He said raids have been conducted at their residence
but they are on the run. The tragedy took a political hue on Sunday,
with UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath suggesting the involvement of the
Samajwadi Party in “such mischievous acts” and BSP chief Mayawati seeking a CBI probe into the matter.
Adityanath, from his home turf Gorakhpur, warned of stern action
against all those found involved in illicit liquor trade even if they
were associated with any political party. “In the past too, such type of
mischievous acts by SP leaders had come to fore. In Azamgarh, Hardoi,
Kanpur and Barabanki, SP leaders were found to be involved in past hooch
tragedies. We can’t deny conspiracy this time too,” Yogi told reporters
Saturday night.
Samajwadi Party (SP) president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav slammed the BJP government in the state over the deaths. The Bahujan Samaj Party
(BSP), the SP’s alliance partner for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, also
blamed the BJP governments in UP and Uttarakhand for the tragedy.
BSP chief Mayawati in a statement said that both the state
governments were “callous” in their approach towards banning sale of
spurious liquor and demanded a CBI probe into the tragedy. Priyanka Gandhi
Vadra, the newly appointed general secretary in charge of East UP, also
demanded the BJP governments in both the states ensure strict
punishment to those responsible for the hooch tragedy and provide
adequate compensation to the families of the deceased.
-With PTI
