Amritsar: 

Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said medical teams were immediately sent to the affected areas after reports came in on the night of May 12. “We got to know on Tuesday night that people in five villages who consumed liquor were in a critical condition. Our teams reached the spot quickly and are still going door-to-door to check on everyone, even if they don’t have symptoms,” she said. According to officials, all those who showed signs of poisoning or were suspected of consuming the liquor were taken to hospitals for precautionary treatment. 

At least 14 people died and six others were hospitalised after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Majitha area of Punjab’s Amritsar. The incident was reported from five villages in the region.

Main supplier arrested

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amritsar, Maninder Singh, said police received information around 9.30 pm that people had started dying after drinking the liquor. “We immediately arrested four people, including the main supplier Parabjeet Singh. Based on his questioning, we arrested the kingpin supplier Sahab Singh as well,” he said.

Police launched a major investigation to track the source of the spurious liquor. Raids are being conducted to identify and arrest those involved in manufacturing and distributing the toxic liquor. Two FIRs have been filed under stringent sections of the law and more arrests are expected.

Previous incidents

A more deadly incident occurred in 2020 in Tarn Taran, where over 50 people lost their lives.  The state government issued orders to investigate the fake liquor business going on across the state.

This is not the first time Punjab faced such a tragedy. In March 2024, about 21 people died in Sangrur after consuming poisonous liquor, with several also losing their eyesight.

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