Illicit liquor claims lives of 55 people in Tamil Nadu

Kallakurichi/Chennai: The death toll in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi hooch tragedy rose to 55. Opposition AIADMK stalled proceedings in the assembly demanding CM M K Stalin’s resignation, and Speaker M Appavu suspended the blackclad AIADMK MLAs for the day, though CM urged Speaker to revoke his order, opposition stayed away.
Madras HC rapped govt for inaction. “Even after learning a lesson in the 2023 Marakkanam incident (23 people had died), the state has failed to take action,” a division bench of Justices D Krishnakumar and K Kumaresh Babu said, directing the state to ensure victims get proper and adequate treatment and to file an action taken report by June 26. The bench passed the order on a public interest writ petition filed by former MLA and AIADMK lawyer IS Inbadurai seeking a CBI probe into the incident.
Responding to the inaction charge, advocate-general P S Raman said action had been taken against 16 police personnel.“Transferring officials is right but who will answer for the loss of lives?” the bench asked.
Stalin urged opposition not to politicise the issue. He had ordered a commission of inquiry led by Madras high court retired judge P Gokuldas into the incident and announced an ex gratia of Rs 10,00,000 for the kin of each victim and Rs 50,000 for those undergoing treatment.
BJP state unit president K Annamalai urged Union home minister Amit Shah to order CBI to probe into the incident. The state govt had transferred the case to CB-CID.
The victims are being treated in govt hospitals in Kallakurichi, Salem, Villpuram and JIPMER in Puducherry. At least 24 people are in critical condition, while 108, including eight women, were being treated as in-patients.
 
Expressing “shock and sadness”, Stalin said in an official release that the commission would investigate the contributing factors and recommend measures to prevent future occurrences.
“The commission will conduct a thorough probe into the incident and submit its report within three months,” Stalin said.
Earlier in the day, the state assembly paid homage to the victims of the tragedy. AIADMK general secretary E K Palaniswami, BJP chief Annamalai, TNCC chief K Selvaperunthagai, and TVK chief and actor Vijay, among others visited Kallakurichi to console the bereaved families.