methanol in liquor, a massacre of poor people

The number of victims of the adulterated drink consumed in Kallakurichi increased to 50, and another 100 people are hospitalized. P. Devasagayaraj: “The most affected are the most backward areas, especially the Dalits who cannot afford more expensive products.” The responsibility of the local State which, through the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation, controls the sale.

Chennai () – The death toll from the Kallakurichi methanol tragedy, in Tamil Nadu, has risen to 50, while almost 100 more people are fighting for their lives after consuming an alcoholic drink in the city of Kallakurichi, about 200 kilometers from Chennai , in Tamil Nadu.

Most of the deceased belonged to the economically and socially weaker sections of the city’s Dalits, while some others came from nearby villages. Since the afternoon of June 19, the Kallakurichi public hospital has been completely invaded by a constant flow of people who have consumed this deadly drink, transported in vans and trucks from the peripheral areas of the city. Those requiring emergency hemodialysis were referred to Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry, where three of them died, four others died at Government Medical College Hospital, Villupuram and eight at Government Medical College Hospital, Salem. .

The Tamil Nadu government ordered the immediate suspension of Kallakurichi Superintendent of Police Samay Singh Meena and transferred District Administrative Officer Sravan Kumar Jatavath. A dozen police officers and staff from the Prohibition Enforcement Wing, the special police division dedicated to alcohol law enforcement, were also suspended on charges of negligence pending an investigation. Tamil Nadu local government chief MK Stalin expressed surprise and gave stern instructions to act against all those suspected of being involved in the case; He also announced compensation of 1 million rupees (about 11,000 euros) for the families of the deceased and 50,000 rupees (about 550 euros) for patients admitted to the hospital.

Father Devasagayaraj, episcopal vicar of the archdiocese of Cuddalore-Pondicherry, told : “We are very concerned about this sad accident, we think about the people who lost their parents, siblings and loved ones. A mother said through tears that her three children are hospitalized because of alcohol. These types of deaths occur mainly in the north of Tamil Nadu and in places where the population is educationally backward and economically poor. The district of Kallakurchi – recalls Fr. Devasagayaraj – is one of the poorest in Tamil Nadu and people choose alcohol. cheap because they cannot afford to buy expensive drinks. Education and improving economic conditions are the only long-term solution to these problems. The State supposedly controls the sale of liquor through the Tamil Nadu State Marketing. Corporation (TASMAC). That is why today many people are calling for a total ban to be imposed.”

Photo: Flickr / Tom Bradnock