Kallakurichi hooch tragedy: NCW member Khushbu Sundar makes strong case for transferring probe to CBI

NCW team led by Khushbu Sundar visits hooch tragedy site, demands CBI probe, exposes officials' complicity.

A three-member team of the National Commission for Women (NCW), led by actor-politician and member Khushbu Sundar, on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 visited Karunapuram, the epicentre of the hooch tragedy in Kallakurichi and conducted inquiry with the victims’ families.

Speaking to reporters, Ms. Khushbu made a strong case to transferr the probe in the hooch tragedy to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CB-CID, which is probing the case has not submitted any report to the NCW so far, she said. She also said she was at a loss to account for why the case had not yet been transferred to the central agency for an effective probe.

During the inquiry, irregularities have come to light and officials had pretended to be ignorant, Ms. Khushbu said, adding that the panel would submit a report to the NCW in a day.

Ms. Khusbhu also alleged that officials in the area were complicit in the tragedy and were pretending to be ignorant. “This is the biggest crime. Most of the victims who died had consumed nearly three sachets of methanol-infused hooch totalling to 96 litres. This has raised a question as to what the Kallakurichi police were doing all along,” she asked.

Though the CB-CID police have claimed they have destroyed 250 litres of the hooch, there is no evidence of this, she said. Local residents told her that no action was taken on their repeated complaints to the police about the sale of spurious liquor, she said, adding: “We will take up this issue at the appropriate level.”