UJJAIN: The death toll in the Ujjain hooch case rose to 13 on Thursday with the discovery of six more bodies. The administration, which was trying to play down the illicit liquor angle when the bodies first began to be found on Wednesday, suspended four cops even as the government ordered an inquiry under additional chief secretary, home, Rajesh Rajora.
Ujjain police arrested a suspect, Yunus, when he was trying to flee to Agra and SP
Manoj Kumar Singh declared a reward of Rs 10,000 each on two others for allegedly manufacturing and selling 'Jhinjhar' — illicit denatured spirit —that is suspected to have killed the 13 labourers.
Chief minister
Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a video-conference with senior officials and said the incident was ‘unfortunate’. He ordered
strict action
against those selling illicit liquor.
The tragedy, coming in the heat of bypolls, triggered sharp reactions from Congress. PCC chief Kamal Nath sent a fact-finding team to Ujjain on Thursday. Congress demanded the resignation of home minister
Narottam Mishra
and wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah.
SP Singh, who had on Wednesday said he was “waiting for the viscera reports”, took action a day later, suspending an inspector, sub-inspector and two police constables for “failing to control and report sale of Jhinjhar". Viscera reports are yet to come.