9 dead in Tamil Nadu after consuming spurious liquor
Toll likely to go up; Stalin orders the suspension of Superintendent of Police Samay Singh Meena and transfer of Collector Sravan Kumar Jatavath; he also orders a CB-CID probe into the tragedy
At least nine persons, including a woman, died after consuming spurious liquor at Karunapuram in Kallakurichi district on Wednesday, ocials said. While six of them died in Kallakurichi, three others died in neighbouring Salem district. The toll is expected to go up.
Only last year, 22 people had died in twin hooch tragedies in Villupuram and Chengalpattu districts.
Chief Minister M.K.Stalin ordered the suspension of Superintendent of Police Samay Singh Meena and the transfer of Collector Sravan Kumar Jatavath. Besides, he has also ordered a CB-CID probe into the tragedy.
In a social media message, the Chief Minister said he was shocked and saddened to hear about the deaths. “Those involved have been arrested. Action has also been taken against the ocials who
failed to prevent it. Immediate action will be taken if the public inform about those involved in such crimes,” Mr. Stalin said.
More than 66 persons are undergoing treatment in various hospitals — 17 have been referred to the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research ( Jipmer) in Puducherry, eight to Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital in Salem, and four to Villupuram Medical College Hospital.
The deaths were reported from Karunapuram within the limits of the Kal
lakurichi town police station. According to sources, the victims, mostly daily wage labourers and load men, had reportedly purchased the illicit liquor from a vendor in Karunapuram. They had consumed it on June 18, Tuesday, and began experiencing symptoms, including loss of breath, blurred vision and giddiness and repeated bouts of diarrhoea.
Three of the victims identied as R. Suresh, 40; M. Selvam and M. Arumugham Praveen, 29; Sekar, 59, died early on Wednesday in their houses. Three others were identied as S. Vadivukarasi, C. Kandan and P. Jagadeesan. Three more persons – Narayanasamy, Ramu and Subramani – who had been admitted to the hospital in Salem died. Four others, Veeramuthu, Siva, Krishnamoorthy and Arun are undergoing treatment and their condition is said to be critical. As the news spread, relatives started to gather in large numbers on the hospital premises in the evening.
‘Govt. has failed’
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday accused the DMK government of having failed to check the sale of spurious liquor, which had claimed nine lives in Kallakurichi district.
Addressing the media, the former Chief Minister said the consumption of ‘illicit arrack’ had been on the rise since the DMK came to power, and exhorted the State machinery to deal with this issue and the drug menace with an iron hand.