Amritsar hooch tragedy: 21 dead, CM Mann calls it ‘murder’; 10 held, DSP and SHO suspended

At least 21 people have died and 10 others remain hospitalised after consuming spurious liquor in several villages of Punjab’s Amritsar district, triggering outrage and a sweeping police crackdown on the illicit liquor network, according to an Indian Express report. The tragedy, which unfolded late Sunday in the Majitha subdivision, has left families devastated and the state government facing mounting criticism.

The victims, mostly daily wage and industrial workers, hailed from Bhangali, Patalpuri, Marari Kalan, Therewal, Talwandi Khumman, Karnala and Bhangwan villages. According to hospital authorities, four of the ten people admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital are in a critical condition.

Investigations have revealed that the illicit liquor was laced with methanol, a toxic industrial alcohol, which had been procured in bulk online, as per the Indian Express report. Police say the kingpin, identified as Sahib Singh, orchestrated the operation by ordering 600 litres of methanol, which was then diluted and distributed through a network of local suppliers and sellers. The main supplier, Prabhjit Singh, along with other associates, has also been arrested.

Senior Superintendent of Police (Amritsar Rural), Maninder Singh, confirmed that the methanol was delivered in a 50-litre jerry can and mixed with liquor stocks before being sold across various outlets in the affected villages. Police teams have been dispatched to other states to apprehend those linked to the supply chain, including firms suspected of supplying the chemicals.

According to a Hindustan Times report, Punjab Police have arrested at least ten individuals, including the alleged kingpin and several local distributors. Four officials - Majitha’s Deputy Superintendent of Police Amolak Singh, Station House Officer Avtar Singh, the local excise and taxation officer and an excise inspector - have been suspended for gross negligence, with departmental inquiries initiated against them.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann visited the bereaved families and announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for each victim’s kin, along with assurances that the state government would cover the full cost of education for the victims’ children. “These are not deaths, these are murders. Such a tragedy could not have occurred without political, bureaucratic, or police support,” Mann said, vowing strict punishment for the culprits.

Opposition parties have seized on the incident, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mann and state excise minister Harpal Singh Cheema, accusing the government of failing to curb the illicit liquor trade despite previous tragedies.

Police have registered two FIRs under sections related to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, murder and relevant provisions of the Excise and SC/ST Acts. The investigation is ongoing, with authorities tracing both the forward and backward linkages of the illicit liquor network, including connections to suppliers in Delhi and Ludhiana.

Health teams continue to conduct door-to-door visits in affected villages, urging anyone who may have consumed the tainted liquor to seek medical attention immediately.