Lok Sabha Elections 2024:
Punjab CEO office organises SVEEP program to encourage voters during IPL match: Sibin C
- 400 members of the Electoral Literacy Club urge people to register as a voter and actively participate in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections
- Voter awareness messages and vote appeal by State Icons Cricketer Shubman Gill and Tarsem Jassar displayed during the match
- Huge hoardings, banners, canopies, standies were put up outside the stadium
Chandigarh, March 23:As part of encouraging people to be involved in the electoral process and achieve the goal of the ‘Iss Vaar 70 Paar’ campaign, the Chief Electoral Office (CEO) on Saturday organised a SVEEP (Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation) program during IPL match at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, District Shahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar.
Divulging the further information about the event, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C said that SVEEP is a flagship programme of the Election Commission of India to promote voter education and participation in elections.
He said that considering the craze of Cricket, the office of CEO Punjab appointed sensational cricketer Shubman Gill as the State Icon and they are confident that his mass appeal would help them achieve the target of taking the voting turnout above 70 percent.
The Chief Electoral Officer said that during the SVEEP event, a myriad of activities were organized in the stadium to motivate voters to exercise their right to vote. He said that over 400 members of the Electoral Literacy Club present at the venue encouraged everyone who has reached the age of 18 to register as a voter and actively participate in the forthcoming elections.
Apart from it, folk orchestra version of ECI song "Main Bharat Hun" was played before the start of the match. Sibin C said that giving special attention to native audience, Punjabi adaptation of Main Bharat Hun song was also played on the big screen. Likewise, voter awareness messages and vote appeal by State Icons Shubman Gill and Tarsem Jassar were displayed during the match.
The CEO further said that huge hoardings, banners, canopies, standies were also put up outside the stadium, apart from several cutouts of Election Mascot Shera 2.0. Canopies were also put up outside the stadium and merchandise with election awareness slogans like mugs and keychains were distributed to the visitors to encourage them for voting.
Meanwhile, addressing media persons before the start of the match, District Election Officer-cum-DC of Shahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar Aashika Jain said that there couldn't have been a better platform than Cricket to raise voter awareness especially among youth. She appealed to the electors to exercise their voting right on 1st June 2024 in a fearless and inducement free manner.
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PUNJAB POLICE CONSTITUTE FOUR-MEMBER SIT TO PROBE SANGRUR SPURIOUS LIQUOR CASE
— SIT IS HEADED BY ADGP LAW AND ORDER; COMPRISES SSP SANGRUR, DIG PATIALA RANGE AND ADDITIONAL COMMISSIONER (EXCISE) AS MEMBERS
— EIGHT MAIN ACCUSED PERSONS ALREADY IN CUSTODY OF PUNJAB POLICE
CHANDIGARH, March 23:In order to unearth the entire nexus behind Sangrur Spurious Liquor Case, Punjab Police on Saturday constituted a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to supervise the uncovering of the backward and forward linkages in a professional and scientific manner in this case.
A four-member SIT is headed by ADGP Law and Order Gurinder Singh Dhillon, while, DIG Patiala Range Harcharan Singh Bhullar, SSP Sangrur Sartaj Chahal and Additional Commissioner (Excise) Naresh Dubey are its members.
Notably, the Sangrur district Police have already arrested eight accused persons involved in selling Spurious liquor in the area of Police Station Dirba and recovered huge spurious liquor and other equipments used for manufacturing and labelling spurious liquor from their possession.
Those arrested have been identified as Soma Kaur, Rahul alias Sanju and Pardeep Singh alias Babi, all residents of Chauwas in Cheema; Gurlal Singh of village Ubhawal in Sangrur, Harmanpreet Singh of village Taipur in Patiala, Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh of village Rogla; and Manpreet Singh alias Mani and Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukhi, both residents of village Gujjran in Dirba.
The SIT will thoroughly investigate the forward and backward linkages in this case to unearth the modus operandi and nexus to trace the source of spurious liquor which found its way to the villages and all the culprits involved in this case will be arrested.
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ECI seeks immediate report from Punjab CS and DGP in Sangrur hooch tragedy
Chandigarh, March 23:The Election Commission of India on Saturday has sought an immediate report from the Punjab Chief Secretary and DGP in the Sangrur hooch tragedy through Punjab CEO.
According to commission's information, around 20 People had died and 20 people are under treatment in various hospitals in Sangrur and Patiala district.
Punjab CEO had written a letter to Chief Secretary of Punjab and DGP Punjab to send an immediate preliminary report and a detailed report Today regarding the entire event to apprise the commission.
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SANGRUR SPURIOUS LIQUOR CASE: ACCUSED PERSONS WERE SELLING FATAL “METHANOL” IN BOTTLES LABELED WITH LIQUOR BRAND 'SHAHI'
— PUNJAB POLICE ARREST TWO MASTERMINDS AMONG EIGHT ACCUSED PERSONS IN THIS CASE
— MASTERMINDS USED A LOCAL CONTACT TO SELL SPURIOUS LIQUOR AT HALF-PRICE
— PUNJAB POLICE INVOKES STRINGENT SECTION 61-A OF EXCISE ACT, WHICH IS PUNISHABLE WITH LIFE IMPRISONMENT OR DEATH PENALTY, SAYS ADGP CUM SIT HEAD GURINDER DHILLON, IPS
— POLICE TEAMS RECOVER MORE THAN 200 LTRs OF TOTAL 300 LTRs METHANOL PROCURED FROM NOIDA-BASED FACTORY
— ADGP GURINDER DHILLON APPEALS RESIDENTS OF AFFECTED VILLAGES TO NOT CONSUME LIQUOR PURCHASED FROM UNAUTHORISED SOURCE
CHANDIGARH, March 23:-The spurious liquor, which claimed the lives of 20 individuals in Sangrur district was found to be Methanol - a fatal chemical used in industrial products, which was procured by the accused persons from a Noida-based factory meant for factory use, said Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Law and Order Gurinder Singh Dhillon, who is heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe this case.
The ADGP accompanied by SSP Sangrur cum SIT member Sartaj Singh Chahal was addressing a press conference at Punjab Police Headquarters (PPHQ) here on Saturday.
As per the information, the Sangrur Police have arrested two masterminds— identified as Gurlal Singh of village Ubhawal in Sangrur and Harmanpreet Singh of village Taipur in Patiala - among eight accused persons out of total 10 accused nominated in this case so far after registering three separate FIRs at Police Stations Dirba, City Sunam and Cheema. Both the masterminds have criminal history and they became known to each other while at Sangrur Jail.
Other six arrested accused persons have been identified as Manpreet Singh alias Mani and Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukhi, both residents of village Gujjran in Dirba; Soma Kaur, Rahul alias Sanju and Pardeep Singh alias Babi, all residents of Chauwas in Cheema; Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh of village Rogla. Police teams have also recovered 200 litres of Methanol chemicals, empty liquor bottles, bottle caps and other equipments used for manufacturing and labelling spurious liquor from their possession.
ADGP Gurinder Singh Dhillon said that accused Harmanpreet, after procuring Methanol chemical from Noida based factory, was preparing spurious liquor at his home and selling it after packing it in liquor bottle after putting the label of liquor brand “SHAHI”— written in Hindi. The accused prepared brand labels using a printer at home, while he had procured the bottle cap installation machine from Ludhiana.
He said that the masterminds were using a local contact Manpreet Singh @ Mani (arrested) to sell the spurious liquor. “The accused was targeting labour class people to sell the spurious liquor at half the price,” he added.
The ADGP said that the Police have papers regarding the procurement of this fatal chemical and Police have added Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to investigate the role of factories from where they procured the Methanol. The accused persons had procured a total of 300 litres of methanol chemical.
The ADGP said that the Police have also invoked the stringent section 61-A of the Excise Act in all three FIRs. Section 61-A is punishable with imprisonment for life/ the death penalty, he added.
He assured that the SIT will meticulously probe the case from all angles to take the investigation to the logical conclusion and a challan will be produced in the Court in a timely manner.
Meanwhile, the SIT head appealed to residents of affected as well as nearby villages to refrain from consuming liquor purchased from unauthorised sources.