Amritsar: The families who have lost their members due to turbulent sale of illegal spurious liquor in the Majitha Assembly constituency still inconsolable as death toll rose to 23.

Tears rolled down from the eyes of Manjit Kaur who lost her brother and said her brother Joginder Singh succumbed to spurious liquor courtesy to the police station concerned which utterly failed to curb their illegal activities in the Majitha belt. “My brother who was already struggling hard to get two square meals had lost his wife to metastasis cells in her chest”. Now after his demise to get two square meals seems difficult unless grant come from the Punjab Government as announced by the Chief Minister on Tuesday, added she.

Almost all the 23 families who lost their family members due consumption of spurious liquor were living in the temporary mud houses even though many don’t have regular electric connections. All belonged to the labor class working at Brick Kiln in the nearby villages.

Pall of gloom descended in the family of Ramandeep Singh 38 of Bhangali Kalan village who lost his life to spurious liquor  was survived by his wife and two children. His wife slipped into deep shock and was under treatment after the demise of her husband.

The role of lady Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Mrs. Sakshi Sahwney came into limelight as she herself while ignoring her status hugged the mothers who had lost their sons. She herself wiped  the tears with her own dupatta besides offering a glass of water to drink. She even squatted on the mud with the old ladies consoling them and spent a long time with them. She was the lady who was proved down to earth as pacified    all the mothers with her personal touch before the arrival of the chief minister and by the time the chief minister reached the village she managed to cool down the inconsolable mothers and wives.

Many IPS and PCS officers who were present on the spot but she  (DC) took the lead while hugging the old ladies as tears were rolling down their cheeks. All the officers were looking at her but nobody came forward to copy her act.

All the ladies with writ large anger on their faces were seen cooled down when Saskhi Sahwney mixed up with them like an ordinary person even arranged food and tea for them. She  even kept her security guards at distance as none of the security guards was seen nearer to her when mingling with ladies and children in the Majtiha belt  as a reason all were  silent when CM was addressing the victim families.

Majority of the dead were below the age of 40 and were young enough but lost precious life  to cheap spurious liquor which was made available in small plastic packets at a very cheap price at thief door steps. It was door to door supply, said SGPC member Jodh Singh Samra resident of Majitha said adding that the arrested accused was in the business for the last two decades and number of time he was arrested in Excise act and every time he managed to get bail order in a very short time    to rejoin his liquor smuggling nexus.