Twin hooch tragedies in Tamil Nadu | Horrific tales of a deadly brew
Twin hooch tragedies in Tamil Nadu claimed 22 lives and left 45 others hospitalised, a month after the government claimed that illicit brewing was a thing of past. The incidents exposed the illegal network of bootleggers, arrack suppliers, sub-agents, and policemen. The police have arrested 17 persons and booked them on murder charge.
Two tragic hooch disasters in Tamil Nadu claimed 22 lives and left 45 people hospitalized. The incidents occurred in the Villupuram and Chengalpattu districts. Villupuram Superintendent of Police N. Shreenatha was placed under suspension, and seven other police officers were suspended for their alleged failure to prevent the tragedies.
Chengalpattu Collector A.R. Rahul Nadh and SP A. Pradeep were transferred. The Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act makes it illegal to sell methyl spirit, which is methanol and is not meant for human consumption. The police uncovered a clandestine operation involving a chemical engineer, Ilaya Nambi, who sold barrels of methanol to an agent in Puducherry, who then supplied it to local arrack sellers, sub-agents, and brewers.
The spurious liquor was sold at a lower price than the government's Tasmac outlets, which may have contributed to the villagers' preference for the cheaper, but deadly, moonshine. The tragedy deeply affected the villagers of Ekkiyarkuppam, a coastal hamlet near Marakkanam in Villupuram district, where 14 people died. The entire village is now in mourning.
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