At least 34 people have died and around 100 have been hospitalised on Wednesday after allegedly drinking illicit liquor in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district, officials said on Thursday. The death toll is expected to increase. Four people have already been arrested.
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin, expressed his shock at the deaths and stated that action was taken against those officials who were responsible for failing to prevent the incident.
In a post on X, MK Stalin expressed shock and sadness at the news of the deaths of people who had consumed adulterated liquor in Kallakurichi.
“I was shocked and saddened to hear the news of the deaths of people who had consumed adulterated liquor in Kallakurichi. Those involved in the crime have been arrested in this matter. Action has also been taken against the officials who failed to prevent it. Immediate action will be taken if the public informs about those involved in such crimes. Such crimes that ruin the society will be suppressed with an iron fist,” he wrote.
On Thursday, the opposition AIADMK's advocates asked the Madras High Court to hear an urgent petition on the liquor tragedy. A division bench comprised of Justices D Krishnakumar and K Kumaresh Babu has agreed to hear the matter on June 21.
Stalin has directed a thorough investigation by the Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department (CB-CID). As per a statement, the Tamil Nadu government has replaced Kallakurichi district collector Sravan Kumar Jatavath and suspended superintendent of police Samay Singh Meena. Furthermore, nine other police officers, including those from the Kallakurichi prohibition wing, were suspended.
MS Prasanth, the new collector for Kallakurichi district, visited the patients receiving treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital. Rajath Chaturvedi has been appointed as the district's new police superintendent.
Stalin dispatched senior ministers EV Velu and Ma Subramanian to Kallakurichi to offer assistance to the affected families.
Governor RN Ravi also expressed his condolences for the deaths and wished the victims a quick recovery.
Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan shared a post, saying, “I was very shocked to know that many lives were lost in Kallakurichi due to consumption of counterfeit liquor. Many others are fighting for their lives in critical condition. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and a speedy recovery to those admitted to the hospitals.”
“From time to time, news emerges from different parts of our state about deaths due to consumption of spurious liquor. They reflect continuing shortcomings in curbing illicit alcohol production and consumption. This is a matter of serious concern,” it added.
