Rajesh Moudgil

While all the schools in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Fazilka remained closed, colleges and universities also remained shut in Pathankot and Gurdaspur.

Police said that arrested accused included one Prabhjit Singh, a notorious bootlegger of the area, who had supplied Methanol, used to dilute with water to increase the quantity of the ``country liquor'', a highly dangerous concoction for sale.

While Sukhwinder Kaur, 50, sustained over 90 % burns, her husband, Lakhwinder Singh, 55, who was also rushed to DMCH, had also suffered 90% burns while their son, Jaswant, 24, sustained injuries. Jaswant was undergoing treatment at Ferozepur civil hospital and his condition was said to be stable.

Bajwa said, “Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has publicly stated that such a tragedy could not have occurred without political, bureaucratic, or police support. If the liquor mafia is flourishing under his nose, he is either complicit - or incompetent.”

According to police, the accused, identified as Ravinder Jain, son of Nand Kishore Jain and Rishabh Jain, son of Ravinder Jain, were nabbed from Delhi for allegedly selling lethal raw material to Sahib Singh, one of the main accused in the case, who has already been arrested.

Singh recalled the 2020 hooch tragedy in which over 120 people had lost their lives in Amritsar and adjoining districts during the then Congress rule led by Capt Amarinder Singh, and said that Mann, then an AAP leader, had demanded murder case be registered against those responsible including the then chief minister.

Sharing more details, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Sangrur, Sartaj Singh Chahal said that preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused DSP Gurpreet Singh was actively involved in the smuggling of drugs and mobile phones into the jail premises.

A 25-year old Sudanese student was stabbed to death and another grievously hurt while defending female students from harassment by a group of boys near a private university in Phagwara town of Punjab’s Kapurthala district, on Thursday.

The court had also summoned former managing director of Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC), Rajeev Arora, former chief town planner of town and country planning department, Surjit Singh, besides some other officials.

Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Gaurav Yadav said that the arrested operative, identified as Amarjot Singh alias Jota Sandhu, was using his residence at village Bhittewad in Amritsar as a major stash point for the network.