Chandigarh, May 22 (IANS) Less than a fortnight after the hooch tragedy in Amritsar that claimed 27 lives, three people have died after consuming a poisonous substance purchased from a liquor vend in Ludhiana city.

The victims have been identified as Debi, Manga and Rinku, all in the age group of 40 to 45 years. After the deaths on Wednesday night, the police took samples from a liquor shop from where they had purchased the liquor.

Civil Hospital Senior Medical Officer Harpreet Singh told the media on Thursday that the cause of death is unknown as they are awaiting the viscera report.

Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma said that it could be poisonous hooch. “We have collected samples that were like ‘desi’ liquor,” he said.

“We have registered a complaint on the statement of the fourth person, who was accompanying the trio,” he said.

The Opposition BJP condemned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s failure to curb the deadly spread of toxic liquor and drugs across the state. The Ludhiana tragedy exposed the collapse of law and order, health systems, and governance under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, said BJP General Secretary Anil Sarin.

Raising questions, Sarin asked: Why has there been no clarity from the government or health officials on the cause of death? Why has no police case been registered, no minister suspended, and no arrests made? Why has Bhagwant Mann’s so-called ‘War on Drugs’ been reduced to hollow public relations while real Punjabis continue to die?”

Sarin further added that even as Punjab bleeds, AAP leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, are sitting in Ludhiana for political campaigning, turning a blind eye to the growing body count caused by narcotics and toxic substances.

“Their promises of making Punjab ‘drug-free’ have proven to be nothing more than a cruel joke,” he said.

Punjab Congress chief and Ludhiana Member of Parliament Amarinder Singh Raja Warring slammed the government’s failure to control and prevent the production and supply of spurious liquor.

He pointed out that this was the second tragedy within a fortnight, after 27 people died in a hooch tragedy in Majitha in Amritsar.

He said it was more shocking because the victims had purchased the liquor reportedly from a government-approved vend.

The Ludhiana MP said the manufacturers of spurious liquor were cocking a snook at the government as they had no fear of law.

He pointed out that even when such a devastating tragedy had taken place just 15 days ago, another took place in Ludhiana.

Last week, state BJP chief Sunil Jakhar had met Governor Gulab Chand Kataria in Chandigarh and sought a CBI probe into the hooch tragedy in Amritsar.

Led by Jakhar, the delegation had submitted a detailed memorandum to the Governor, seeking a probe into links of AAP’s Punjab leadership with the liquor mafia running amok in Punjab.

The delegation demanded that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) be asked to undertake a probe to expose this nexus.

–IANS

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