“They do it themselves… the bottle is white in colour and they, definitely, add something to it. That’s the reason why my relative passed away,” said Karuppiaha, a resident of Marakkanam, a seaside village between Chennai and Pondicherry where 14 people died in a recent hooch tragedy.
Tamil Nadu’s battle with spurious liquor manufacturing is a much storied one, with successive governments attempting to purge the state of the menace. Hooch tragedies have been few and far between in recent time. The death of 22 people across two districts – Chengalpet and Villupuram districts – has raised fears of a return of the menace.
Daily wage labourers fall for the massive price discount the illegal liquor arrives with, in comparison to what is retailed at the state-run shops. For example, a 200 ml packet costs around Rs 30, almost a fifth of the price of the standard fare of hard liquor purchased at the authorised shops. On some occasions, the illegal liquor vendors announce offers (buy two, get one free), to spur sales.
Chengalpet’s Perungaranai village is home to more than 20 families. The residents live in small huts and are mostly wage labourers.
Chinna Thambi and his mother-in-law lost their lives due to the consumption of spurious liquor. The wife of the deceased Chinna Thambi demands that all those who sold illicit arrack should be hanged. Valli, wife of the deceased, breaks down and says: “All those responsible for my husband’s death should be hanged. Otherwise, the accused will continue to destroy others’ lives just like how they destroyed mine.
On Monday, Chief Minister MK Stalin visited the hospitals where over 30 victims who had consumed the illegally manufactured liquor were receiving medical treatment. The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo moto cognisance and issues notices.
Amid all the tragic developments, the anger towards the police department shines through. Relatives of victims are livid that the police turned a blind eye to the illegal manufacture and sprawling supply chain that facilitated distribution of liquor. Relatives had engaged in a ‘road roko’ on Tuesday near Marakkanam, demanding action against certain officers whom they believe could have prevented the growing consumption of illegal liquor.
Raja, a resident of Ekkiyarakuppam village, alleged: “This (sale of spurious liquor) has been going on for several years. There is a colony nearby and that’s where the spurious liquor comes from. There are many shops near the beachfront that sell these. Police know that these things happen here but they collect bribe and look the other way.”
The tragedy comes nearly a month after the Tamil Nadu government in the recent Assembly session said there has been no hooch tragedies in the state in the last 14 years.
Stalin has announced a solatium of Rs 10 lakh to the family of the victims. As the government strives to assuage the family of victims, it has an uphill task ahead of it in trying to gain back confidence among disadvantaged sections impacted by the tragedy.
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