Kallakurichi hooch tragedy toll reaches 47, issue rocks Tamil Nadu assembly

Chennai: The death toll from the illicit liquor tragedy in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district has risen to 47, the Director of Medical Education Sangumani revealed on Friday. Govindaraj, Damodaran and Vijaya -- the three accused in the hooch tragedy, were sent to 15 days of judicial custody and taken to Cuddalore Central Prison from the Kallakurichi Combined District Court.

Victims are being treated at Kallakurichi Government Medical College and Hospital, as well as hospitals in Salem, Villupuram, and the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in Puducherry

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Assembly Session, which began its second day in Chennai on Friday, witnessed chaos as All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam legislators dressed in black raised slogans inside the House over the tragedy. Speaker Appavu ordered the watch and ward staff to evict the AIADMK MLAs. Heavy police personnels were deployed outside the Assembly. AIADMK members demanded a discussion on the Kallakurichi incident. On Thursday, the Assembly session had ended with respects being paid to the victims of the hooch tragedy and the Kuwait blaze.

Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party President Annamalai has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, requesting a inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the deaths. He accused the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government of beiung involved in the tragedy, alleging collusion between DMK members and local liquor sellers. 

"We want to inform your good office that a similar incident that occurred in May 2023 in Marakkanam of Tamil Nadu's Villupuram district and Chengalpattu district claimed 23 precious lives. In the past two years, Tamil Nadu has lost over 60 lives to hooch because of the ineffective governance of the DMK government," he said in his letter to the Union Home Minister.

He also claimed that, the production and sale of illicit liquor is happening at the behest of party functionaries and cadres belonging to the DMK, where points of sale of such liquor. They are located near judicial courts, police stations, and other government offices.

The families of the deceased in the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy claim that the sale of illicit liquor happened in the prime areas of the town, he alleged, adding, "It is evident that the sale of illicit liquor is done in full public view with the knowledge of the local police, who operate under the direction of local political leaders belonging to the DMK."

"Considering the dire state of governance in Tamil Nadu under the DMK rule, on behalf of BJP Tamil Nadu, we kindly request your good office to order a CBI enquiry on this matter as we firmly believe that the DMK Government will curtail the State Police's from bringing all the persons responsible for the deaths before the court of law," he further said.

The Tamil Nadu government has ordered a judicial inquiry led by retired Madras High Court judge Justice B Gokuldas, who will submit a report within three months. Chief Minister MK Stalin announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of each deceased victim, and Rs 50,000 for those under treatment.

. ANI