TOBA TEK SINGH/FAISALABAD: Families of the victims who had died from consuming toxic liquor in Toba Tek Singh laid their loved ones to rest on Tues­day following successful talks between Faisalabad Diocese Bishop Joseph Arshad and Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Shafiq.

The death toll rose to 34 on Tuesday, community leaders said, adding that three of the victims were Muslim and the rest Christian.

Following the tragic incident in Mubarikabad Colony on Christmas Eve, the Christian community of Toba Tek Singh presented five demands to the district administration and refused to bury the dead until their demands were accepted.

They had demanded suitable compensation for the families of the deceased, reimbursement of burial expenses, the best possible treatment for those still in hospital, a judicial inquiry into the tragedy and arrest of those responsible for selling the toxic liquor.

Mr Shafiq told the bishop that a request for holding a judicial inquiry would be sent to the chief minister’s secretariat for approval. The rest of the demands would also be met.

Delayed treatment

Dr Mohammad Irfan, assistant professor of medicine at the Faisalabad Allied Hospital, said most of the victims had been brought to them 24 to 48 hours after they had consumed the toxic liquor.

He explained that gastric irrigation was effective within six hours of consuming a toxic substance. Although the toxic liquor had been consumed on Christmas Eve, the first patient was brought to Allied Hospital at 5:40pm on Monday.

Some of those undergoing treatment at the hospital could be impaired for life, the doctor said. So far, 35 of the victims had undergone eye sight examination, he said, adding that 26 victims were undergoing treatment at the hospital and six of them were in a critical condition. He said seven patients had undergone dialysis.

Community blames police

Bishop Joseph Arshad said he had been told that the liquor was brought from the Chuttiana police station’s malkhana (storehouse).

Residents of the area alleged that Sawan Masih, a sweeper at the Chuttiana police station, had sold the liquor to Sajjad Masih, a district police lines sanitation worker.

Sajjad had first sold the liquor in the Mubarikabad Colony and later filled it in a water cooler and placed it on a street corner to be consumed for free. He was taken to the DHQ Hospital and referred to the Allied Hospital but died on the way there.

Following his death, residents of the locality made announcements from the church loudspeaker requesting anyone who had consumed the liquor and felt poorly to the rush to the hospital without delay.

Condemnations

Former provincial social welfare minister Begum Neelum Jabbar criticised Law Minister Rana Sanaullah for saying that those who had died should have checked if the liquor was safe before consuming it.

She said it was shameful that the government had failed to control the sale of liquor in the province.

Zarina Maseeh said three members of her family had died because the police had allowed sale of liquor in the locality.

Rashid Jalal Maseeh, a district council minority member, demanded that relatives of deceased government-employed sanitary workers be recruited against their seats.

Awami Workers party central spokesman Farooq Tariq said despite a ban, some police constables out to make money had sold the home brew from a rural police station. AWP district president Zubair Chaudry demanded that the government give Rs500,000 compensation to the families of the deceased, who had died on their day of celebration because of the greed of a few.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2016