A day after Haryana Police arrested a former legislator Satvinder Rana in connection with a liquor theft case, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Singh Hooda Friday demanded a sitting High Court judge monitored inquiry or a probe by an independent central agency into the Haryana liquor scam. A two-time MLA Rana had contested the 2019 Assembly election as a candidate of Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) from Kalayat constituency but lost the poll battle to BJP’s Kamlesh Dhanda. Rana was arrested for his alleged role in the theft of liquor from a sealed godown in Samalkha in Panipat district. Speaking to the journalists Friday, Deepender Hooda said that the government should order such a probe in which the people of the state have trust about its independence. The Haryana government has constituted a Special Enquiry Team (SET) headed by a senior IAS officer to probe the liquor scam which initially came into light from Sonipat district where about 5,500 boxes of liquor which were recovered from smugglers by the police and excise officials in 14 cases had disappeared from the stock. As soon as the matter had come into the notice of Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij, he had ordered registration of a criminal case. Two SHOs were also suspended. It is suspected that there may be more such cases of liquor theft from the godowns.
