The death toll in the Malvani hooch tragedy continues to rise as it mounted to 84 on Saturday afternoon.
Four excise officials have been suspended for dereliction of duty including an excise inspector, a sub inspector, and two constables.
Mumbai Police spokesperson Dhananjay Kulkarni confirmed the casualty figures and added that 34 others are still hospitalised. The police are due to submit a report on the incident to the Chief Minister later in the day.
So far, the Mumbai police have arrested six persons and suspended eight policemen for negligence.
Heavy rains in the past two days also affected the residents taken ill after the consumption of the liquid as rains led to congestion and, in turn, delays in arranging medical aid.
Locals blamed the police for the tragedy and alleged that the officers of the local police station were hand-in-glove with the bootleggers and hooch brewers.
“This is not a one off incident. Sale of spurious liquor takes place at several places here at various places. If we are aware of it, how come it needed the police this long and a tragedy to dig it out? The truth is the sale was permitted for quite some time,” said Jitu who lives in the Lakshmi Nagar slum where the spurious liquor was sold in a shanty.
He added that not just spurious liquor was sold openly but even the unadulterated one was sold at small food joints and other outlet which did not have the permit to do so.
