Gujarat: Supervision of probe in hooch tragedy handed over to two SPs

The Gujarat Home Department on Saturday handed over the supervision of First Information Reports registered in connection with a hooch tragedy that has claimed 42 lives to two Superintendents of Police (SPs).

FIRs were registered at Barwala and Ranpur police stations in Botad district and at Dhandhuka police station in Ahmedabad district following the deaths.

Supervision of the two FIRs registered in Botad district has been handed over to SP (State Monitoring Cell) Nirlipt Rai, and that of the FIR lodged at Ahmedabad (rural) police station to SP Jyoti Pankaj Patel of State Crime Record Bureau, an official release said.

Director General of Police Ashish Bhatia appointed the two officials for the supervision of FIRs to ensure impartial and judicious investigation in the case, the home department said. Fifteen accused, including the person who acquired chemicals for hooch production and those who sold the liquor, have already been arrested.

The SPs of Botad and Ahmedabad were transferred and six police officials were suspended following the tragedy.

Some small-time bootleggers in Botad district made the liquor by mixing water with methyl alcohol or methanol, a highly poisonous industrial solvent, and sold it for Rs 20 per pouch, police said.

At least 42 people from Botad and neighbouring Ahmedabad district died after consuming the toxic brew on July 25.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)