Patiala, February 13
Twelve persons died, most of them in sleep last night after having consumed denatured spirit yesterday evening. The deceased, include a woman, her son, and nine persons of one locality of the city. While nine of the dead belong to Dhiru Ki Majri locality of the city and comprise dalit youngsters, the other deceased belong to Darukutiya and Deep Nagar localities.

According to Dhiru Ki Majri residents, all those who consumed denatured spirit had taken it from a licensed dealer who sold spirit for industrial use as liquor after treating it. The sources said eight youngsters of Dhiru Ki Majri collected near a shop near the main road and were served the spirit by Ram Kali and her son Ram Chander who also consumed it.

The residents said after consuming the denatured spirit they went to houses and went off to sleep. A resident said at 10 p.m. a few kin of the victims found them behaving in an abnormal manner and found that something was wrong. But it was too late. Ram Kali and her son Ram Chander besides two others were brought to the Government Rajindra Hospital at 11 p.m. last night.

Following this there was panic in Dhiru ki Majri after midnight with people checking others who had consumed the denatured spirit. All five other persons in the locality who had consumed the deadly drink were found dead in sleep. Three others of Deep Nagar and Darukutiya were also found dead in sleep in the morning.

The police has picked up three persons who had licence to sell denatured spirit besides sealing a liquor shop near Dhiru ki Majri. Superintendent of Police (City) Kuldeep Singh said that the Excise Department had been asked to check supply of the liquor shop. He said a case under Section 304 of the IPC had been registered by the Civil Lines police station.

Meanwhile Deputy Commissioner Tejveer Singh disclosed that an ex-gratia amount of Rs 50,000 would be given to the next of kin of the deceased. He said the Red Cross had also made arrangements for the cremation of the dead as most of them were from weaker section of the society. Mr Raninder Singh, son of Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, attended cremation of the deceased at the Ghalori Gate cremation grounds in the city.

The deceased were identified as Kala (25), Mahinder Singh (50), Balbir Singh (25), Billu (35), Gurdev Singh (45), Ram Kali (50), Harvinder Singh (37), Rakesh Kumar (26), Ram Chander (31), Jaswinder Singh (52), Nandu (24) and Kulwant Singh (45).