Punjab CM’s reaction came hours after Kejriwal demanded a CBI investigation into the Punjab spurious liquor tragedy, which has claimed 104 lives so far.
On Wednesday, Punjab Prime Minister Amarinder Singh ordered the head of the state police to reserve those directly involved in the boyfriend tragedy that has claimed 113 lives, for murder.
Promising justice for the victims of the case, which he described as the greatest tragedy in recent times, the prime minister said he will not tolerate any political interference in the case.
Singh also proposed improving the punishment for the manufacture and smuggling of spurious or illicit liquor under the Excise Act, to ensure that repeat offenders remain behind bars and cannot easily escape falling back into crime.
During the cabinet meeting, several ministers agreed to Advocate General Atul Nanda’s suggestion that a strict law such as the Punjab Organized Crime Control Act (PCOCA) was needed to combat organized crime such as smuggling of illicit liquor.
The prime minister asked the subcommittee, created under Minister Brahm Mohindra, to review the provisions of the proposed law, to finalize and submit its report as soon as possible.
He agreed with Sukhjinder Randhawa and other ministers that the Punjab Organized Crime Control Act (PCOCA) could help control hardcore criminals and deter gangsters, who continue to deal with organized crime. even from prison, and they also had close ties to terrorists. according to a government statement here.
The prime minister’s directives on the Hooch tragedy came during two separate video conferences, one from the cabinet meeting and the other from a case review meeting with top police and administrative officials.
Amarinder Singh also led his council of ministers by observing a two-minute silence as a sign of tribute to the victims of the tragedy. Up to 113 people died in the Hooch tragedy with 84, the highest deaths, in Tarn Taran, followed by 15 in Amritsar and 14 in Batala.
“End this business, clean up the border areas. This has to stop, ”the prime minister said in his directive to police and district officials during the previous review video conference.
The illicit liquor business, which uses “lahan” (raw material for liquor manufacturing), has been operating in border areas for a long time. But now it had taken on even more dangerous proportions with the new trend of smuggling from neighboring states, the prime minister said.
Claiming that he wanted “to see the end of this spurious and illicit or smuggling liquor business,” Singh ordered the concerned officials to be extremely strict in dealing with criminals, be they, men or women.
Reiterating his government’s zero-tolerance policy on liquor and spurious and illicit drugs, he called on the police to coordinate closely with the special taxes and other departments involved to eliminate this Punjab threat once and for all.
Noting that the victims of the hooch tragedy were the poorest of the poor, Singh set a 10-day deadline for deputy commissioners and involved police officers to identify and prosecute cases to provide additional help directed at their families.
The Prime Minister has already announced Rs 2 lakh ex gratia to the families of each of the victims of the tragedy.
Police Inspector General SPS Parmar said the cases have been registered under IPC section 304 (wrongful death penalty not equivalent to murder) and the Excise Tax Act, and a coordinated crackdown has been launched in all border areas. to identify and catch criminals and initiate strict action against them under the law.
It revealed that initially, the families of the victims in Tarn Taran, who had suffered the maximum loss of life, concealed the deaths and cremated the bodies without an autopsy. Parmar suggested introducing color-coding for ethanol and other spirits to verify their illegal sale and distribution.
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