The death toll in Kallakurichi liquor tragedy reached 39 by Thursday evening and more than 100 persons who consumed the spurious liquor have been admitted to hospitals in the district. According to doctors in these hospitals, the death toll is likely to go up as the condition of many is reportedly serious.

It all started on Tuesday night at Karunapuram village in the district, 250 km south of Chennai, when people started consuming hooch (spurious liquor) and started vomiting. Some of the tipplers who were rushed to hospitals breathed their last before they reached the hospitals. Death caused by consumption of spurious liquor is nothing new in Tamil Nadu.

Accordign to sources people opt to buy the stuff from bootleggers who have a network of surreptitious outlets function across the State where manufacture and sale of arrack is banned by law.

Following reports that the concerned officials ignored complaints from the people in the district about rampant sale of hooch in the district, Chief Minister MK Stalin shunted out the district collector and ordered the suspension of senior police officers in the district. Stalin also announced Rs.10 lakh each to the families of the victims and Rs.50,000 to those who are being treated at the hospital. A retired judge of the Madras High Court has been appointed to the commission of inquiry to probe the reasons which caused the liquor tragedy. The commission has been asked to submit its report in three months and recommend measures for preventing such incidents in future.

What stands out in this mishap is that only people belonging to the poorest of the poor sections of the society who lost their lives. Edappadi Palaniswamy, leader of opposition and former Chief Minister urged the Tamil Nadu Government to increase the solatium to the deceased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. Palaniswamy said his party, the AIADMK, would offer financial assistance to children who lost both their parents in the tragedy and blamed the DMK Government for ignoring the pleas by his party MLA to take action against widespread sale and consumption of hooch.

"The spurious liquor cartel got a shot in the arm when the DMK Government was sworn in. Whenever the DMK is in power, the State sees a spurt in the manufacture, sale and consumption of spurious liquor," said Sree Priya Iyer, a BJP activist engaged in pulling people out of liquor consumption.