At least 34 people have died and several others hospitalised after drinking illegally brewed liquor in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, said officials today.
The incident occurred in the state’s Kallakurichi district, where more than 100 people are being treated in various hospitals, said top district official MS Prasanth.
The number of those in critical condition keeps changing, suggesting that the death toll could rise. Ambulances, doctors, and specialists from nearby areas have been deployed to the district, he added.
Police have arrested one man with about 200 litres of contaminated liquor containing deadly methanol, said the state government in a statement.
Following the incident, District Collector Sravan Kumar Jatavath and Police Superintendent Samay Singh Meena, along with nine other police officials from the Kallakurichi prohibition wing have been suspended over negligence of duty, the statement read.
Meanwhile, the state’s Chief Minister M K Stalin, in a post on X (formally known as Twitter), said, “Those involved in the crime have been arrested. Action has also been taken against the officials who failed to prevent it. Immediate action will be taken if the public informs about those involved in such crimes. Such crimes that ruin the society will be suppressed with an iron fist.”
The CM has further ordered a probe by the Crime Branch’s Crime Investigation Department, reports our New Delhi correspondent.
