Meerut, Mar 28: Five persons lost their lives after consuming poisonous liquor here Thursday morning in post-Holi revelry.
The names of those dead are: Manoj, Mahendra, Raju, Krishna Chandra, and Rajkumar. A sixth person Mahesh is currently fighting for his life in hospital.
Eyewitnesses said, the six persons belonging to four families went out of their homes in Manoharpur near Hastinapur early this morning and began consuming adulterated liquor supplied from the house of one Jagmohan.
Two of the victims were found at the house of Jagmohan while others were located in an alley.
The brother of one of the victims, Raman said that as soon as his brother consumed the liquor he died.
“Some say that poisonous alcohol had come from the tanker and they did not know. Two boys took this liquor to my brother. He drank the liquor and passed away at night. No family member was with them,” said he.
Local residents raised slogans in the local police station, alleging that adulteration of alcohol was rampant in the Khadar area in connivance with local police.
SP Meerut M.M. Beg said four policemen have been suspended. He promised ex-gratia help to the kin of the deceased.
Sale of illicit liquor is rampant during Holi as the demand shoots up in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar. Country liquor is prepared throughout the night in kilns spread across the Khader area. The local mafia is so strong that excise staff who had gone to conduct raids last year were held hostages by the liquor manufacturers.
This year too, 18 such kilns and several thousand litres of illicit liquor were destroyed but the trade goes on unhindered.
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