Jalandhar(14/05/2025): The horrific hooch tragedy in Majitha, Amritsar, which has claimed the lives of 23 innocent people, mostly poor daily wagers, is a chilling testament to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s abject failure to protect Punjab’s most vulnerable citizens sukhpal khaira said. further he said I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and demand immediate justice for this avoidable catastrophe. This is not merely a tragedy it is a state sponsored massacre, enabled by the negligence and complicity of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s administration.
The so-called “Yudh Nasheyan De Virudh” (War Against Drugs) campaign, touted by Mann as a revolutionary effort to eradicate the drug menace, has been exposed as nothing more than a hollow slogan and a publicity stunt. While the Chief Minister indulges in self-promotion, the drug and liquor mafia continue to rule the roost, thriving under the very nose of his government. This is the fourth major hooch tragedy under AAP’s rule, following similar incidents in Sangrur, Hoshiarpur, and Moga, yet no lessons have been learned, and no accountability has been fixed. The blood of these 23 victims stains the hands of a government that has failed to dismantle the illicit liquor and drug networks ravaging Punjab.
The Majitha tragedy, where methanol-laced spurious liquor was openly distributed, could not have occurred without the patronage of powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and police officials. The arrest of 10 accused, including the alleged kingpin Sahib Singh, is a mere drop in the ocean when the entire supply chain linked to Delhi and Ludhiana points to a deep-rooted nexus that the AAP government has conveniently ignored. The suspension of a few officers, including the Majitha DSP and SHO, is a feeble attempt to deflect blame, while the real culprits continue to evade justice.
sukhpal khaira said I demand the immediate resignation of Excise Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who has utterly failed to curb the widespread illegal sale of spurious liquor across Punjab. His inaction and incompetence have cost precious lives, and anything less than his resignation would be an insult to the victims and their families.
Furthermore, he said I call for a judicial probe led by a sitting judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to uncover the political and bureaucratic patronage that sustains this deadly trade. The guilty must be tried in a fast-track court and handed exemplary punishment no one, however powerful, should be spared.
Bhagwant Mann’s claims of eradicating drug abuse by May 31, 2025, now ring hollow as Punjab reels under the weight of repeated hooch tragedies and a rampant drug mafia.
The Chief Minister, who doubles as the Home Minister, is either complicit in this toxic nexus or grossly incompetent both are unforgivable. The Mann government’s criminal negligence has turned Punjab into a graveyard for the poor, with illegal distilleries flourishing and innocent lives snuffed out daily.
sukhpal khaira mentioned I stand with the families of the victims and pledge to fight for justice. The state government must provide Rs 25 lakh compensation to each affected family, alongside jobs and free education for their children, as a bare minimum. However, no amount of money can bring back the lives lost due to this preventable tragedy. Punjab deserves better it deserves a government that acts, not one that hides behind empty promises and PR stunts.
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