Hooch tragedies that can be prevented

New Delhi: It is the same story repeated all over again, though at different places. Despite all the public uproar created over continuing deaths caused by consumption of spurious liquor, the tragedy continues to happen, devastating families, mostly of the poor.

During the last five months, hooch has claimed lives of over 40 people in four major incidents in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Bihar, not to speak of minor incidents that might have happened in other states.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had to take suo motu cognisance of the Bhavnagar tragedy of Gujarat in which 13 people lost their lives. The tragedy came to light in the third week of August.

It is to be noted that Gujarat is a dry state. The spurious liquor was said to be spiked with a high concentration of methanol and sold in counterfeit bottles bearing the label of a popular brand.

Four years back in July 2022, 42 people lost their lives in the state after consumption of toxic liquor.

In another major incident that took place in May this year, at least 13 people lost their lives after consuming toxic liquor in Maharashtra’s Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad areas. Atul Kanade, Superintendent of Police of the State Excise Department, said that the accused allegedly mixed the toxic chemical methanol into the liquor.

Another spurious liquor tragedy took place in Bihar’s East Champaran district in April in which 13 people died. Doctors treating the victims confirmed that the liquor consumed by the victims was contaminated with methyl alcohol. It is to be noted that Bihar is also a dry state.

Nearly 34 people had died after consuming illicit liquor in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi district in June 2024.

The spurious liquor business in the country is thriving because of the demand for cheap alcohol.Bootleggers mix industrial methanol with the liquor as it is cheap as compared to legal ethanol but it smells like the same. Its main consumers are always the poor-slum dwellers, daily wagers, and plantation workers who can not afford Indian made foreign liquor like whisky etc. so they go for this cheap adultrated drink to relax after a day of hard work.

These tragedies can be prevented mainly by making stringent laws for diversion of the poisonous chemical in addition to other steps.

–India News Stream