Excise, police officials suspended after liquor tragedy

GHAZIABAD - The Uttar Pradesh government Saturday suspended four officials of the excise and police departments for negligence following the death of six people after drinking moonshine in this district adjacent to the national capital.

District magistrate R. Ramesh Kumar confirmed that the principal secretary-excise had directed to suspend two excise department officials — Excise Inspector S.P. Singh and a departmental constable posted in the area — for negligence, leading to the deaths.

Two police officers — a sub-inspector and a constable — were also suspended, he said.

Six people were killed and seven fell critically ill after consuming spurious liquor in Ghaziabad. The death toll may rise as two people were extremely critical, superintendent of police (rural) M.M. Beg told IANS.

According to police, a few residents of Kinor village in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad district held an early Holi celebration Friday by drinking liquor bought from a dhaba on Garh-Siyana road. After half an hour, some of them fell unconscious while some others started foaming at their mouths.

They were rushed to hospitals in Ghaziabad and Meerut.

“The deceased have been identified as Mahendra, 35, Surat Singh, 60, Mahendra alias Chhotalla, 40, Jitendra, 35, Ajay, 30 and Jaivira, 20,” Beg said.

“We have seized five 50-litre drums of an unidentified chemical from the house of one of the deceased people for forensic test. Chhatra Pal, who supplied the chemical, is absconding. A complaint has been lodged in Bahadurgarh police station,” said Harjit Singh, deputy commissioner in the state excise department.