CHANDIGARH: A liquor stunt landed a Chandigarh man in trouble on Sunday when he was arrested for allegedly giving away liquor ‘golas’ for free to beat the heat.The accused, who owns a liquor shop, was charged with serving an alcoholic beverage to the public without a valid licence or permit. He has been granted bail, reports Sandeep Rana.According to the notice issued by the Excise Department on May 25, the administration was alerted to videos on Twitter and Instagram on Saturday that a vodka-based drink was being mixed in ice golas and served to people outside a liquor vend.Social media was soon abuzz with videos of it. Alerted by the control room, a flying squad went to the stall in Sector 9 Market and saw ice candies with a dash of alcohol being served to people, said police.Police said the owner failed to produce any permit or licence for serving liquor at the location. After police and excise officials conducted inquiries at the spot, a case was registered under Sections 68, 1 and 14 of Punjab Excise Act and Section 61(2) of BNS.Charanjit Singh Bajaj, whose company was served the excise notice, told TOI on Monday night, “We do not know any Rajesh Bajaj (the one named in the showcause). No one works here by this name. We organized no such langar or served any liquor in gola. A customer outside our shop may have done something, we cannot say anything about that.”
