By OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUN, 10 Sep: Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, who is also the state excise minister has taken a serious note of deaths of 7 persons due to consumption of illicit liquor in district Haridwar this morning. As a result, 9 excise officials and 4 police officials were today suspended for negligece towards duty.
Excise commissioner, Hari Chandra Semwal issued orders suspending 9 employees, including one excise inspector. As per the official sources, after receiving information about 7 deaths due to consumption of illicit liquor in villages Phoolgarh and Shivgarh under the jurisdiction of Police Station Pathri in district Haridwar, the preliminary inquiry report of Additional Excise Commissioner (EIB) Headquarters was submitted to the government and this report has confirmed deaths due to consumption of illicit liquor. In the report, the negligence and serious laxity of the staff of Area3 Laksar Haridwar and District Enforcement, Haridwar has been mentioned. In Tadkam, the Excise Inspector, Deputy Excise Inspector, Principal Excise constable and Excise constable posted in Laksar Haridwar and District Enforcement Haridwar were found to be prima facie guilty of violation of the provisions given in Rule 3 of 1 and 2 of Uttarakhand Employees Conduct Rules-2002. The personnel mentioned in the table have been suspended with immediate effect and attached to the office of Joint Excise Garhwal Circle, Dehradun on the orders of Excise Commissioner Hari Chandra Semwal.
In addition, the DGP also took a serious note of the incident, after which DIG and SSP Haridwar, Dr Yogendra Singh Rawat ordered suspension of four policemen including SHO Pathri. At the same time, a SIT has also been constituted, which will submit its report to the higher authorities after investigating the matter. In the Special Investigation Team (SIT investigate spurious liquor case), ASP Rekha Yadav is in-charge, Inspector Prithvi Singh Rawat has been nominated as the investigating officer while Sub-Inspector Manoj Nautiyal has been made a member. At the same time, SSP has suspended SHO Pathri Ravindra Kumar, Constable Rakesh Negi, Constable Sandeep and Constable Pankaj Kumar for not being able to stop the sale of illegal liquor in view of the upcoming Panchayat elections in Haridwar. The police has also tightened the noose on the three candidates for the election, Trilok and Dr. Vijendra, the contenders for the post of head, and Sanjay, the candidate for Chhetra Panchayat, are under investigation of the police. The police have started interrogation by taking these three into custody. It is being ascertained whether these people had distributed poisonous liquor to woo the voters.
