Yogi Adityanath
At least 14 people have died in hooch tragedies in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur and Kushinagar, following which Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered a crackdown on the illicit liquor mafia in the state. According to Additional Chief Secretary (Information) Avaneesh Awasthi, nine deaths had been reported from Ataryasujan village in Kushinagar and five from Umahi village in Saharanpur.
Rs 2 lakh each would be given to the dependents of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to those taken ill after consuming the countrymade liquor, a state government spokesman said.
Meanwhile, Yogi Adityanath has also ordered strict action against the local excise officials and a crackdown on the people behind the manufacture and sale of illicit liquor.
The Director General of Police (DGP) has also been asked to coordinate between the local police and the excise department to identify the hooch makers and act against them.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the BJP was encouraging people to drink as it would bring in money in the name of cow cess and people, in absence of adequate knowledge, were consuming such liquor.
He also accused the state's BJP government of protecting and patronising the liquor mafia.
(With IANS inputs)
