With the death toll in the Aligarh hooch tragedy hovering around 50, the Uttar Pradesh government suspended two commissioner-rank excise officials on Tuesday. The state government has penalised seven excise officials so far, including two commissioner-rank officers, and Aligarh district excise officer.
Additional Chief Secretary, Excise, Sanjay Bhoosreddy said in Lucknow that two commissioner rank officers were suspended for laxity on Monday and identified them as joint excise commissioner of Agra Zone Ravi Shanker Pathak and assistant excise commissioner OP Singh. While joint excise commissioner, Lucknow Zone, Dheeraj Singh was given the additional charge of Agra, assistant excise commissioner of Agra Vijay Kumar Mishra was asked to additionally supervise the departmental affairs of Aligarh. While Aligarh district officials put the death toll at a conservative 25, hospital sources stressed that more than 50 autopsies have been carried out so far while several bodies handed over to the bereaved families without autopsy.
Already 17 people have been arrested, including the kingpin of the hooch supply syndicate. Bhoosreddy further said that a 15-day statewide drive against the liquor mafia has been launched so far, 403 cases were registered in different districts and 203 persons were arrested while nine vehicles were also seized.“Besides, joint teams of district administration and Excise department were conducting verification of liquor shops especially to check whether the liquor was sold having QR code in bottles and pouches. So far, 11,795 litres of illicit liquor has been seized and destroyed. Unscrupulous elements found engaged in manufacture and peddling of spurious liquor will be dealt with firmly and booked under National Security Act and their properties will be confiscated and auctioned to compensate the families of the diseased.