First heads roll in hooch deaths

Circle Inspector of Mograhat,Somdeb Banerjee,has been given the additional charge of the officer-in-charge of Usti police station,said Barui.

Meanwhile,the Left Front will take a decision on the issue of attending Monday’s all-party meeting on hooch deaths only after “watching the attitude” of the state government in the Assembly tomorrow.

The ruling Trinamool Congress has already accused the CPM of playing a direct role in causing the deaths,an accusation vehemently opposed by the CPM and they even went to Governor M K Narayanan to lodge a formal complaint against this. According to CPM,sources unless the government change its stance,the CPM in all likelihood will not attend the meeting.

“We will take a decision only after watching the government’s attitude in the House,” Surya Kanta Mishra,Leader of Opposition told The Indian Express.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee while issuing a statement in the Assembly on December 17 announced that an all-party meeting to be held.

Five people have been arrested so far but the main accused Badshah is still absconding.

Meanwhile the death toll at Sangrampur village in South 24 Parganas in the spurious liquor tragedy today reached 173. As many as 20 people are still undergoing treatment at various hospitals in the city.

“We are planning to set up awareness camps in the district to tell people to buy liquor only from authorised shops,be it country liquor or foreign liquor. We will be also conducting health camps in the district,” said Shikha Adikary,Chief Medical Officer (Health) of South 24-Parganas district.