The deaths reportedly took place in Amritsar, Batala and Tarn Taran districts (Representational)
At least 38 people have died in several districts of Punjab allegedly after consuming toxic liquor, prompting Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to order a high-level probe. The senior Congress leader later tweeted that the guilty will not be spared. Eight accused have been arrested in the case.
"I have ordered a magisterial enquiry into suspected spurious liquor deaths in Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran. Commissioner, Jalandhar Division will conduct the enquiry and coordinate with concerned SSPs and other officers. Anyone found guilty will not be spared," Mr Singh tweeted.
A government statement accessed by news agency PTI said the deaths reportedly took place in Amritsar, Batala and Tarn Taran districts after Wednesday night.
The first five deaths were reported from Mucchal and Tangra villages in Amritsar's Tarsikka on July 29, police said.
On Friday, five people died in Batala; four fatalities were reported from Tarn Taran.
Mr Singh has the directed police to launch a search operation to crack down on any illegal liquor manufacturing unit operating in Punjab.
The Chief Minister has given the Divisional Commissioner the liberty to co-opt any civil/police officer or any expert to facilitate the expeditious conduct of the probe.
Punjab Police chief Dinkar Gupta said a huge quantity of toxic liquor, drums, storage cans etc have been recovered from the accused and the same have been sent for chemical analysis to check for constituents of the illegal liquor, a government statement said, adding, more arrests are likely.
With inputs from PTI