Methanol to modus operandi: the many uncanny similarities with 2020 tragedy

Though 16 people have been arrested so far, none of them are political leaders. Two police officers have been suspended so far for negligence and departmental proceedings launched against them.

Police claim that consignments of ethanol and methyl alcohol (methanol) were transported by truck from Delhi and Ludhiana, to villages in Majitha. Similarly, in 2020, consignments of ethanol were transported from Ludhiana and Patiala by road to villages in Majha.

One of the accused in 2020 case, Gurpal Singh Dhotian, who was arrested near Phillaur in Ludhiana for transporting illegal ethanol, has friends cutting across party lines — from the Aam Aadmi Party, and Congress, to the Shiromani Akali Dal. Dhotian is currently a member of the Dhotian gram panchayat in Tarn Taran, with the support of the AAP.

Former Akali minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, former Congress MLA Harminder Singh Gill, and Punjab Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar have all visited the Dhotian household, especially Gurpal’s brother Rashpal Singh alias Shalu Dhotian, a self-styled godman and also an accused in 2020 traegdy. Rashpal holds influence over a section of voters in the Tarn Taran district.

There is another similarity between the two tragedies. In the 2020 incident, the husband of a woman accused of selling the toxic liquor died after consuming the hooch that killed others. The woman was arrested for causing the deaths, including that of her own husband.

In the latest tragedy too, the husband of a woman identified as Ninder Kaur consumed the same liquor that killed 22 others. Ninder Kaur has been arrested for selling the illicit liquor.