Under fire for the rising death toll in the Etah hooch tragedy, which has so far claimed 39 lives, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday announced an increased ex-gratia compensation of Rs. 5 lakh each to families of the victims — up from Rs. 2 lakh announced earlier..
While 33 persons were dead in Etah’s Aligang area — the central point of the tragedy — six deaths were reported from the neighbouring district of Farukkhabad. Terming the incident “sad,” Mr. Yadav instructed officials to take strict action against those involved in production and sale of spurious liquor.
As the U.P. Excise department falls under the CM, Mr. Yadav has been facing flak from the opposition parties, especially the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
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BSP chief Mayawati, who said the incident reflected the “criminal negligence” and failure of the Samajwadi Party government, had also demanded that the compensation given to the victims’ families be increased. According to a government spokesperson, the amount was increased after Minister of State for Excise Ramkaran Arya met Mr. Yadav and apprised him of the situation, informing him that those who died in the tragedy were from poor financial background. Etah MLA Rameshwar Singh Yadav had also urged the CM to ensure financial help to the families.
The police on Saturday night nabbed the main accused Shripal Lodh. The SP government has suspended many police and administrative officials, including the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Station House Officer, Circle Officer and District Excise Officer, for dereliction of duty.
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Calling the incident an example of “prevailing jungle raj” in the State, Ms. Mayawati has demanded that given the gravity of the case, the suspended officials be sacked from their jobs, booked under severe provisions of law and sent to jail.
Nine-four persons were admitted to a hospital in Saifai and 93 of them have been discharged so far. The death toll in the tragedy mounted, prompting the government to launch a State-wide drive against spurious liquor. This led to the arrest of 1,621 persons even as the police registered 1,585 cases, seized 36,121 litres of spurious liquor and recovered seven vehicles. During the crackdown, 197 illegal liquor joints were also shut down.
Many victims lose sight
Many of the victims have lost their eyesight and the State has promised to bear the cost of their treatment.
In view of the Etah hooch tragedy, U.P. DGP Javeed Ahmed has instructed police officials to book those who engage in business of spurious liquor under the stringent Gangsters and Goonda Act. Mr. Ahmed said district excise officers should also be invited to the district-level crime meetings of the police held every month in the State, so that the issue of spurious liquor is discussed and teams formed to tackle it.