Kallakurichi hooch tragedy | Political leaders slam T.N. government, call for strict action against those involved in spurious liquor sales

Political leaders in Tamil Nadu demand strict action against illicit alcohol following hooch tragedy, blaming DMK for involvement.

In the wake of the hooch tragedy in Kallakurichi district that has led to the death of at least 34 persons and has seen over 80 others hospitalised, political party leaders in T.N. have called for stringent action to clamp down on the manufacture and sale of illicil alcohol.

PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Thursday, June 20, alleged that Govindaraj alias Kannukutty who sold the spurious liquor in Karunapuram in Kallakurichi had links with DMK men, and called for a probe into this.

Strict action must be taken against all those who enabled the sale, he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). The increasing death toll in the hooch tragedy was shocking and revealed that the State government and police have completely failed to curb the manufacture and sale illicit liquor, Mr. Anbumani said. He said though the actions suspending the Superintendent of Police and transfer of Collector were right, they were not sufficient.

Mr. Anbumani alleged that main reason for the deaths was the DMK backing the sellers of spurious liquor.

He alleged that Govindaraj had erected a banner greeting DMK’s Malaiyarasan who emerged victorious from the Kallakurichi constituency in the recent Lok Sabha elections, and this was removed only after the hooch tragedy.

In previous incidents too, there have been links between the sellers of spurious liquor and DMK people, he alleged.

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party chief, actor Vijay, on Thursday blamed the lax attitude of the State administration for the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy.