The toll in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi hooch tragedy increased to 56 on Sunday, the district administration said, according to ANI.
Thirty-one persons died at the Kallakurichi Medical College, 18 at the Salem Medical College, four at the Vilupuram Medical College and three at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research.
The spurious liquor was bought from a vendor in the Karunapuram area of Kallakurichi town. After consuming the liquor, the patients complained of severe dizziness, headache, nausea, stomach pain, and eye irritation. Reports of the deaths first emerged on June 20.
The tragedy sparked widespread outrage, with Opposition parties All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Pattali Makkal Katchi demanding that the Central Bureau of Investigation look into the matter.
Tamil Nadu Law Minister S Regupathy, however, rejected the demand on Saturday, claiming that the state government had acted transparently and had not suppressed anything, The Hindu reported.
The state government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the deaths. The inquiry will be carried out by retired Madras High Court judge Justice B Gokuldas, who has been asked to submit a report in three months.
On Friday, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MLAs were removed from the lower House of the state Assembly after they demanded that Question Hour be suspended and a discussion be held on the tragedy.
On Thursday, Chief Minister MK Stalin said that action had been taken against the officials who failed to prevent the sale of the spurious liquor. The Tamil Nadu government directed the Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department to carry out an inquiry into the matter.
The police also arrested a man, identified as K Kannukutti, after nearly 200 litres of illegal liquor containing methanol was seized from him. High levels of methanol in liquor are toxic for human consumption.
Nine other police officers, including those from the Kallakurichi prohibition wing, were also suspended.
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