The death toll from tainted booze in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has reached 53 and could rise, with many more in critical condition, authorities say. The victims fell ill after drinking bootleg liquor high in methanol.
Rajat Chaturvedi, superintendent of police in Kallakurichi district, where the deaths occurred last week, said 98 people had been hospitalized. “Most of the deaths and those hospitalized are daily wage labourers,” Chaturvedi said.
The first deaths were reported on Wednesday after people had been drinking local liquor, which sells in sachets for about 50 cents, Chaturvedi said. The worst-hit village was Karunapuram, where more than a dozen victims were given their last rites in a mass cremation on Thursday.
There have been a series of mass deaths and injuries across India in recent years due to consuming tainted alcohol. In states where alcohol is banned, some people turn to smuggled or unregulated liquor. In other areas, villagers are opting for moonshine because of its low price.
At least in 2019 150 people died One person has died from drinking moonshine in two districts of the northeastern state of Assam, after 100 died in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand a few weeks ago.
August 2020, At least 120 people In Punjab, 92 people died after drinking toxic local alcohol, with 92 of them in just one district.
At least 70 people died in the eastern state of Bihar in December 2022 after drinking tainted liquor. Bihar has banned the sale and consumption of alcohol since 2016, but people continue to drink illegally smuggled alcohol or cross the border into Nepal in search of cheap, locally produced alcohol.
At least 22 people died in two other districts of Tamil Nadu last year after drinking similar toxic locally made alcohol. The latest mass death toll has put the state government under pressure from opposition leaders and the state’s high court. Opposition lawmakers, dressed in black in parliament, have called for the resignation of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin.
Stalin announced an investigation to be led by a retired judge and ordered police across the state to crack down on the home-made liquor trade.
Police officials said the man who allegedly produced the poisoned alcohol this week was arrested along with his wife and at least one other person. The top civilian official in Kallakurichi district has been transferred and several police officers have been suspended.
According to Indian media reports, locals say police were complicit in taking a cut from bootleg peddlers who brought liquor into their villages. News Minute.
“Though I cannot say that the local police are directly responsible, their lack of action has led to the suspension of police personnel ranging from constables to sub-inspectors,” said Chaturvedi, who took over as the district police command after the tragedy.
