bjp-blames-aap-seeks-cbi-probe-into-hooch-deaths

The Punjab unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has urged Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to urge for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the rising assets of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and the recent hooch tragedy in Majitha, Amritsar, which claimed 27 lives.

 

Led by state BJP president Sunil Jakhar, the party submitted a detailed memorandum accusing the Bhagwant Mann-led government of harbouring links with the liquor mafia and profiting from alleged irregularities in the excise sector. The delegation demanded a time-bound probe into the AAP leadership's connections with illicit liquor networks and sought accountability for the loss of innocent lives in the Majitha tragedy.

 

He further points to the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy, under which top AAP leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia have faced legal action. 

Jakhar criticised the AAP’s governance, highlighting the contradiction between the Chief Minister’s recent claim that “99 per cent of Punjab’s villages are drug-free” and recurring tragedies linked to illicit liquor. Referring to the symptoms exhibited by the victims — largely daily wage workers — the BJP alleged methanol poisoning and pointed to administrative failure despite heightened police surveillance in the sensitive border district.

 

The BJP’s demands include:

• A CBI investigation into the Amritsar hooch tragedy.

• A probe into the alleged nexus between Punjab AAP leaders and the liquor mafia.

• Examination of liquor quotas under AAP’s 2022 Liquor Policy.

• Investigation into the amount of foreign liquor lifted by contractors since July 2022.

• Speed up the ongoing CBI probe into the Delhi Excise Policy, including raids conducted in Punjab.

• Inquiry into the allocation of official residences in Chandigarh to Delhi-based AAP leaders.

• Investigation into the disappearance of Harpreet Singh alias Harry, reportedly involved in serious criminal activities.

• Probe into the rapid rise in assets of AAP MLAs, ministers, and their close relatives over the past three years.

 

Jakhar also highlighted a similar incident in Sangrur in March 2024 and reiterated the party’s stand that only a central agency probe could ensure justice for the victims and unearth the full extent of the alleged liquor mafia’s influence in Punjab.