Even as the toll from Kallakuruchi mounted, prominent voices criticised the Tamil Nadu government’s failure to act against liquor consumption and called for total prohibition.
The death of 57 people and hospitalisation of dozens following the consumption of illicit liquor in the village of Karunapuram in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi district is a tragedy that could have been avoided. Like the 22 people who died after consuming a methanol-laced brew in Villupuram and Chengalpattu districts in May last year, the bulk of the Kallakurichi victims are from the poorest sections of society — conservancy and headload workers. The latest tragedy too, which began unfolding on Thursday, is a case of methanol poisoning. It points to the urgent need to address larger lapses, failing which the state government’s immediate response of arresting five people, including the person who allegedly sold the spurious liquor, transferring key officials and appointing a one-man commission under a retired judge to investigate the Kallakurichi incident, would be mere band-aids.
A key question is how methanol, a highly controlled substance used to manufacture a range of products from fabrics to paints and which can lead to liver failure, blindness and death if ingested, makes its way into the hands of those brewing and selling illicit liquor. That it has been linked to two tragedies in Tamil Nadu in the span of a year points to a serious oversight on the part of the state government, especially as red flags were raised about its use for the last two years. On Friday, the Madras High Court, while hearing a petition demanding a probe into the incident, also pulled up the government for failing to act despite reports of illicit liquor being widely available in the area. Clearly, stricter regulation and enforcement of the law are called for, if further tragedies are to be prevented
Even as the toll from Kallakuruchi mounted, prominent voices criticised the Tamil Nadu government’s failure to act against liquor consumption and called for total prohibition. While such a step may seem an obvious solution, it would only drive the illegal liquor trade further underground and put more lives at risk. What is needed is greater outreach to raise awareness about the dangers of consuming spurious liquor, as well as de-addiction programmes that are accessible to the poorest and most vulnerable. These cannot be left to voluntary organisations alone, and require the active involvement of the government. Even as liquor regulations are enforced, the deeper social problem of alcohol dependence framed by the Kallakurichi deaths calls for a compassionate approach that does not stigmatise the victims.
