The fatality count in the deceptive alcohol episode of Sangrur, Punjab has risen to 20 from 11 on Saturday, March 23. On Wednesday, March 20, 11 individuals perished purportedly after ingesting fraudulent alcohol at Gujran village in Sangrur’s Dirba, authorities revealed.

In the aftermath, legal action was instigated under section 302 (homicide) of the Indian Penal Code and the Excise Act. A five-member committee was constituted by the district administration to probe the incident.

According to reports, five individuals met their demise in Sunam on March 22, and 4 others succumbed on March 13, augmenting the total fatalities in this episode to 20. Initially, Sangrur police apprehended four individuals, including the principal accused Gurlal Singh and his three cohorts in relation to the incident.

On Saturday, an additional four individuals, among them a female, were apprehended. Sangrur Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sartaj Singh Chahal mentioned that the four individuals detained on Saturday have been identified as Pradeep Singh alias Babbi, hailing from Chauwas Jakhepal, Soma, Sanjhu, and Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh, residing in village Rogla.

The committee of high stature that has been constituted will supervise the unraveling of backward and forward connections in a proficient and systematic manner to unveil the network behind this entire ordeal.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Law and Order Gurinder Dhillon IPS, including Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Patiala Range, Harcharan Bhullar, Indian Police Service (IPS), SSP Sangrur Sartaj Chahal, IPS and Additional Commissioner (Excise) Naresh Dubey will supervise the inquiry.

The SIT has pledged to the populace that anyone implicated or culpable will not be exempted from accountability. They have also implored all to uphold tranquility and concord and refrain from succumbing to unverified hearsay.

Punjab has a chronicle of fatalities resulting from the ingestion of toxic alcohol. The most renowned was the Tarn Taran case during the tenure of the Captain Amarinder Singh-led government, where over 100 individuals perished after consuming contaminated alcohol.

Several years ago, a woman was apprehended in a case where 11 individuals perished due to the ingestion of poisonous alcohol in the Muchhal village under the Tarsikka Police Station of Amritsar.