Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the state government over the Pune hooch tragedy, alleging that the Home Department was being run by a “havaldar” and that the police department was unable to effectively combat illegal activities. He demanded the appointment of a full-time Home Minister and held the government responsible for the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis currently holds the Home portfolio.
Sapkal made the remarks after 22 people in Pune died after consuming spurious liquor. Three weeks ago, the Times of India reported about a government resolution (GR) where the state government reconstituted a local-level committee to check illegal liquor manufacturing and fix local officials accountable if such activities were found in their jurisdictions.
Linking the deaths to what he described as a wider criminal nexus, Sapkal claimed that drugs entering Maharashtra from Gujarat, Jamtara-style cybercrime operations, and other illegal rackets were flourishing with the blessings of the Home Department. Addressing a press conference at Tilak Bhavan in Mumbai, Sapkal alleged that Fadnavis had effectively abandoned the police force’s motto of protecting the good and punishing the wicked. He claimed that the government began taking action only after the Pune tragedy triggered widespread public outrage and was now carrying out enforcement drives to protect its image.
Sapkal said the government woke up only after 22 people lost their lives and has since started demolishing illicit liquor units. He argued that such illegal distilleries did not emerge overnight, pointing out that Maharashtra has around 500 towns and 43,000 villages where illegal liquor dens and other unlawful businesses operate openly in several areas.
On May 11, the state government issued a GR reconstituting taluka-level committees to strengthen the crackdown on the manufacture and sale of illicit liquor. The GR fixed direct accountability on the officer-in-charge of the local police station and the State Excise Inspector concerned for any illegal liquor activity in their jurisdiction. The committees were originally constituted in 2005 to monitor and prevent the production and sale of illicit liquor through regular reviews at the taluka level.
