The death toll from tainted alcohol in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has reached 53 and is likely to rise, with many people in critical condition, officials said. Victims became ill from drinking bootleg alcohol with high methanol content.
Rajat Chaturvedi, police chief of Karakulchi district, where the deaths occurred last week, said 98 people had been hospitalized. “Most of the deceased and hospitalized were daily wage workers,” he said.
Chaturvedi said the first death was reported on Wednesday after drinking local liquor sold in sachets for about 50 cents. Karunapuram village was the worst-hit, with more than a dozen victims receiving last rites in a mass cremation on Thursday.
Consumption of tainted alcohol has caused several mass casualties across India in recent years. In some states where alcohol is banned, people turn to smuggled or unregulated alcohol. Elsewhere, villagers choose pirated products because they are cheaper.
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In 2019, at least 150 people died after drinking pirated alcohol in two districts in the northeastern state of Assam. A few weeks ago, 100 people had died in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
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In August 2020, at least 120 people died in Punjab due to drinking local poisonous alcohol, 92 of which occurred in just one district.
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In December 2022, at least 70 people died after drinking contaminated alcohol in the eastern state of Bihar. Bihar has banned the sale and consumption of alcohol since 2016, but people consume illegally smuggled alcohol or cross the border into Nepal to buy cheap local alcohol.
Last year, at least 22 people died in two other districts in Tamil Nadu after consuming similar local poisonous alcohol. The latest mass casualty incident has put the state government under pressure from opposition leaders as well as the state’s high court. Opposition lawmakers who attended the rally in black called for the resignation of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.
Starling announced an investigation to be led by a retired judge and ordered police across the state to crack down on the homebrew trade.
A man accused of making this week’s batch of poisonous alcohol has been arrested along with his wife and at least one other person, according to police officials. The top civilian official of Karakulchi district has been transferred and several police officers have been suspended.
According to Indian news outlet The News Minute, local residents said police were complicit in taking commissions from smugglers who brought the liquor to the village.
“We cannot say that the local police were directly involved, but because of their inaction, police officers from the constable to the deputy chief constable were suspended,” said Mr Chaturvedi, who was in charge of the area’s police force after the tragedy.
