Cops mull rapid forensic tests in liquor seizures

AHMEDABAD: With 21 dead already, and many in critical condition, the recent hooch tragedy of Surat has sent alarm bells ringing through police circles. On Wednesday, senior city cops met at the police commissioner's office in

Shahibaug

to discuss measures to avert major tragedies from spurious liquor (laththa), like the one that took place in the city in July 2009, leaving 148 dead.

Senior officers said police are readying a proposal seeking mandatory forensic examination where the seizure of spurious liquor is of 25 litres or above. Police said they need to learn of the presence and proportion of methanol or any other life-threatening substance in the booze.

"We need the forensic report within 24 hours, and we will ask for such provisions or norms," said a senior police officer. "If the presence of methanol, or for that matter any other substance dangerous for human consumption is found, then along with other relevant sections of the Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949, Section 65 (a) of Bombay Prohibition (

Gujarat

Amendment) Act, 2009, would also be slapped on the accused," he said.

Sources said police officers also want seeking of remand to be a must in these cases and that probe should not begin and end with the liquor seized, but should extend to tracking the source of the liquor supplied. "The Gujarat amendment, along with sections of the principal Bombay Prohibition Act, attracts a punishment of 7 to 10 years even if there are no deaths reported," said a top police official.

It is worthy to note that 148 people had lost their lives in the Ahmedabad hooch tragedy of July 2009. Incidentally, Surat police commissioner Ashish Bhatia was then the joint commissioner of police at Ahmedabad crime branch.

He supervised the probe conducted by the Ahmedabad crime branch in which 63 accused were arrested.


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