Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand hooch tragedy: Main accused arrested from Rajasthan's Bhilwara

The main accused in the Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand hooch tragedy Harendra Yadav has been arrested, taking the number arrests in the case to five. Yadav has been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police from Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district for his role in the tragedy which claimed 88 lives in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand earlier this month, according to 101Reporters. Yadav, a native of Bihar’s Gopalganj, is stated to be a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader. He was allegedly the main supplier of methyl alcohol used to manufacture illicit liquor that led to deaths in Saharanpur, Kushinagar and Balupur. [caption id=“attachment_6087921” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Harendra Yadav, accused in the hooch-related deaths in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Image sourced by 101Reporters[/caption] Yadav had been absconding since the incident unfolded on 8 February. Official sources said that Yadav fled to Rajasthan hours after he came to know about the hooch tragedy in Kushinagar. He will be brought to Kushinagar for interrogation into the incident and the people behind the production and distribution of spurious liquor. The Haridwar police arrested Sardar Hardev and his son Sukka in Haridwar district on Tuesday, according to ANI. Two days before that, two more people were arrested in this case from Roorkee. A special investigating team (SIT) was constituted by the UP government to probe the case , while Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced ex-gratia worth Rs two lakh for the deceased’s kin and Rs 50,000 to those undergoing treatment. Yadav has 12 cases under the Excise and Prohition Act that are pending against him in Gopalganj. His wife Bocha Devi is a panchayat member in Gopalganj and his brother Anil Yadav is a constable posted in Bihar’s Jehanabad district.