Death toll due to consumption of illicit liquor in Roorkee touched 32 on Saturday. Total 31 liquor traders have been arrested in connection with the deaths that occurred due to consumption of illicit liquor. 509 quarters of country-made liquor and 91 litres raw liquor has been seized from them, said an official.

Uttarakhand government has suspended 13 employees of Excise Department including the Excise Inspector of Roorkee region after 70 people lost their lives following the consumption of spurious liquor in the state and Uttar Pradesh.

A show cause notice has also been issued to the higher officials of the Enforcement Wing of Excise Department for dereliction of duty. A magisterial inquiry has already been initiated in the hooch tragedy.

Meanwhile, as many as 46 people lost their lives in Saharanpur and 10 in Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh after consuming illicit liquor. The authorities also claimed to have seized 965 bulk litre of illicit liquor in just one day (from 8 February to 9 February).

Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh governments have launched a major crackdown to nab those responsible for the distribution of illicit liquor in the states. Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh Police teams are carrying out joint operations along the UP-Uttarakhand border.

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