The death toll in the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy in Tamil Nadu rose to 50 with 13 more persons losing their lives after consuming spurious liquor at Karunapuram. The victims included five women and a transperson.
Most of the victims who succumbed on the interim night between Thursday and Friday were from Karunapuram. Twenty-seven persons died at the Government Kallakurichi Medical College Hospital, 16 at the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital in Salem, four at the Government Villupuram Medical College Hospital and three at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer) in Puducherry.
Editorial | Killer moonshine: On the hooch tragedy in Kallakurichi
A total of 135 others, including six women, are undergoing treatment at the Government Kallakurichi Medical College Hospital; government medical hospitals in Salem and Villupuram; and at JIPMER in Puducherry.
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Official sources said a 71-member team of specialist doctors from General Medicine, Anaesthesia, Nephrology and staff nurses and technicians drawn from government medical colleges and hospitals in Salem, Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchi and Chengalapttu have been sent to the Kallakurichi hospital.
Meanwhile, Former High Court judge B. Gokuldas, the one-man commission appointed by the State government to probe the hooch tragedy, on Friday set in motion the inquiry process by visited the Kallakurichi Government Medical College and hospital and Karunapuram, the epicentre of the tragedy, and held a meeting with officials.
The retired judge visited those admitted to the hospital and inquired about the incident. He met the family members of the victims. He also held a meeting with Collector M.S. Prasanth, Superintendent of Police Rajat Chaturvedi and officials from various line departments.
He inquired about the incident and developments from day one, the investigation angle and the action taken by the police and the administration.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ma. Subramanian visited the Jipmer in Puducherry, where some of the victims are undergoing treatment.
One more held
The CB-CID police have arrested one more person for his alleged involvement in the hooch tragedy.
Police said the accused, identified as Joseph alias Raja of Sankarapuram, had supplied the brew to Chinnadurai who in turn supplied it to bootlegger Govindaraj alias Kannukutty. The police have already arrested Chinnadurai, Govindaraj and two others in connection with the incident.
