Pune hooch tragedy: 22 police, excise personnel face suspension

Twenty-two personnel from the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad police forces, along with officials from the Maharashtra excise department, have been suspended over alleged failure to prevent the illegal sale and distribution of suspected spurious liquor that has left 14 people dead, officials said on Saturday, 30 May.

The action comes as authorities intensify their response to the tragedy, which unfolded across parts of Pune and neighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad over two days and has now been handed over to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) for a detailed probe.

Police said eight people, including an alleged key bootlegger believed to be central to the illegal supply network, have been arrested in connection with the case.

According to an order issued by the Pune police commissionerate, three officers attached to Hadapsar police station have been suspended for alleged negligence in tackling the unlawful liquor trade in the area.

Those suspended include senior police inspector Sanjay Mogale, assistant police inspector Hasina Sikalgar and police sub-inspector Hasan Mulani. Officials said the officers were found wanting in efforts to check the suspected manufacture, distribution and sale of illicit liquor in Hadapsar.

Separate disciplinary action has also been taken by the Pimpri-Chinchwad police. A senior official said six personnel from Dapodi police station — including a senior inspector, a sub-inspector and four constables — have been suspended over lapses linked to the incident.

The Maharashtra state excise department has likewise initiated action against its own staff. Superintendent Atul Kanade said 13 department personnel, comprising three inspectors, six sub-inspectors and four other employees, have been suspended.

The suspensions reflect mounting scrutiny over enforcement failures and questions over how suspected toxic liquor continued to circulate despite the presence of police and excise monitoring mechanisms.

According to police, the fatalities were reported from two locations. Ten people died in the Phugewadi area of Pimpri-Chinchwad, while four others from Pandhare Mala in Pune’s Hadapsar area lost their lives after allegedly consuming suspected spurious liquor. Officials said at least five more men believed to have consumed the toxic alcohol remain hospitalised in Pimpri-Chinchwad and are undergoing treatment.

Spurious liquor incidents have periodically surfaced in different parts of the country, often exposing gaps in enforcement, illicit supply chains and oversight failures involving the manufacture and sale of unregulated alcohol.

Investigators are expected to examine the source of the suspected liquor, the distribution network involved and whether prior complaints or intelligence inputs about illegal activity were overlooked.

The CID, which has now assumed charge of the investigation, is likely to probe both the criminal conspiracy behind the suspected toxic liquor supply and possible administrative lapses that may have allowed the trade to continue unchecked.

With PTI inputs