September 28, 2018:

On Thursday, a Court in Bengal convicted four people in the 'Toxic Liquor Case' that killed 172 persons in South Parganas’s Sangrampur village in December 2011 and left several others blind. The sentencing is expected to be announced in Friday.

Noor Islam Fakir, alias Khora Badsha,the key accused in the tragedy told media as he came out of the Court, “I have been found guilty. Let’s see what sentence the Court gives me tomorrow.” He also claimed to to be innocent and said he would appeal to the High Court.

The Court found Dukhey Laskar, Khairul Laskar and Nazrul Laskar, guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and sale of noxious food or drink under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 46A (Unlawful Manufacture of spirit or intoxicant) of the Bengal Excise Act. The maximum sentence for the Crimes is Life Sentence.

He was also found guilty of voluntarily causing severe hurt by dangerous weapons or means and causing hurt by means of poison under the IPC..

Public Prosecutor Tamal Mukherjee said, “A lot of witnesses turned hostile later. We had to overcome these difficulties in fighting this case.”

Shimul Sarkar, inspector, CID said,“I submitted the charge sheet on the 59th day of the investigation. As a result, all the accused were behind the bars since the crime. It is rare for culprits in similar cases to be convicted.”

“A total of 12 persons were named in the charge sheet. Four were convicted and six were acquitted. Two still remain to be traced,” said Santanu Dutta, special public prosecutor.

Fakir’s wife was one among the acquitted.

A number of people were affected by Poisonous Illicit Liquor at Sangrampur, Kolkata.

A total of 11 persons were named in the Charge Sheet that Police submitted on February 10, 2012. A total of 56 witnesses have been examined and cross-examined.

The Forensic Reports of the viscera also confirmed the symptoms of Alcoholic Poisoning.

During the investigation, Fakir’s confession led to the recovery of stock of Poisonous Liquor that was found to contain methanol.

The prosecution argued that the accused sold alcohol to about 240 people. Another case in the same tragedy is being heard in the Courts.

Source: HT

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