Fatehpur, Mar 19: Three policemen were suspended on Wednesday for allegedly sheltering a man accused of supplying spurious liquor that led to the death of two labourers in this Uttar Pradesh district.

Durgesh Kumar was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the death of Shivbhola Paswan (40) and Motilal (50) in Bhauli village in the Ghazipur police station area here, the police said, adding that 19 others fell ill on March 11 and 12 after consuming the spurious liquor allegedly supplied by the accused.

Kumar was named as an accused in another case following the seizure of a large quantity of illicit liquor on May 11, 2020, but his name was dropped during investigation, a senior police officer said. Uttar Pradesh: Two Men Cut Cake With Pistol in Hapur, Arrested After Video Goes Viral.

In the inquiry conducted by the circle officer after the death of the two labourers, it came to light that the then Ghazipur SHO Ashish Singh, SIs Suresh Kumar Tiwari and Ghansham Shukla had helped Kumar get away, he said, adding that had his name not been dropped as an accused in the 2020 case, the lives of the two labourers could have been saved.

The officer said all the three policemen have since been transferred from the Ghazipur police station and posted elsewhere in the district. The role of the present SHO is also being investigated, he added.

A total of 21 labourers, engaged in laying the roof of a house in Bhauli, fell ill last Wednesday after consuming illicit liquor, Fatehpur Sub-Divisional Magistrate Pramod Jha had said on Friday. While Paswan (40) and Motilal (50) died, 19 labourers are undergoing treatment at a Kanpur hospital, he had said.

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