Haridwar: 12 people lost their lives due to consumption of poisonous liquor in Haridwar. After this incident, the High Court ordered the government to immediately remove Ashok Mishra, District Excise Officer of Haridwar. All this was going on that Pawan Kumar Singh, the former District Excise Officer of Haridwar, also took advantage of the opportunity and reached the court against his transfer. Actually Pawan Singh was suspended in the year 2017.
At that time, the Excise Department had received a complaint about the complicity of the licensee and the District Excise Officer in relation to the liquor shop located at Araghar. It was told that due to the connivance of the Excise Officer, this shop was being operated at a low rate.
On investigation the complaint was found to be true. Here Rs 1.02 crore monthly fixed rate shop was allotted 50 per cent less minimum duty. Now Pawan Kumar Singh once again went to the High Court and argued that in December 2021, he was transferred without any reason. However, even after hearing all the arguments, Pawan Kumar could not get any relief from the High Court.
Now the excise officer also tells about Ashok Kumar Mishra, who has been sent to Dehradun after the liquor incident in Haridwar. Ashok Kumar Mishra is the same officer who was brought in in 2019. At that time more than 100 people died in Haridwar due to drinking spurious liquor.
The image of Ashok Kumar Mishra has been that of an honest officer. Due to his efforts, illegal liquor was curbed to a great extent in Haridwar, but Ashok Kumar Mishra has also suffered the brunt of the recent liquor scandal. He has now been sent to the Headquarters Dehradun on the post of Assistant Excise Commissioner. Earlier, nine employees of the Excise Department were suspended.
