The state government once again smelt a political conspiracy behind the hooch tragedy in Barabanki and ordered a high-level probe by a three-member committee comprising the Divisional Commissioner of Ayodhya, Excise Commissioner and IG of Ayodhya Range. The committee has been asked to probe the incident threadbare and submit a report within 48 hours. The committee will also try to find the “political conspiracy”, if any, behind the incident as it happened soon after Lok Sabha polls as the hooch tragedies at Hapur and Azamgarh were said to be a fallout of political conspiracy.
State government spokesperson Sidharth Nath Singh told reporters in Lucknow on Tuesday that the objective of the probe would be to fix the responsibility and recommend action against those found guilty.
Singh also said that 20 people were rushed to Lucknow for treatment. Of them, 16 were admitted to KGMU and put on dialysis. Claiming the death toll to be six, the spokesman said that directives had been issued to ensure all possible medicare to the victims. The fatalities could be more as several families performed the last rites without informing the police and bypassing autopsy.
Earlier this year, major hooch tragedies were reported from adjoining districts in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh that claimed around 100 lives. The CM had suspected involvement of Samajwadi Party in the mischievous acts and warned of stern action against the conspirators.