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.
Actor Vijay blames State’s lax attitude
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party chief, actor Vijay, on Thursday blamed the lax attitude of the State administration for the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy.
A similar incident last year had resulted in the loss of lives and a repeat of the incident shows the lackadaisical attitude of the State machinery, Mr. Vijay said, and extended his condolences to the affected families.
He urged the State government to take strict precautionary measures to ensure that such incidents do not take place again in the future.
CB-CID probe is mere eyewash: Seeman
Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) chief coordinator Seeman termed the announcement of a CB-CID probe into the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy, a “mere eyewash.”
He asked what happened to the CB-CID probe ordered into similar incident in Villupuram district last year, and what actions were taken following this. Mr. Seeman said that officials were being made scapegoats in the incident, while those in power trying to escape.
He alleged that DMK men were involved in the sale of illicit liquor and that is why the police could not take any action and members of the public were afraid to lodge complaints.
Mr. Seeman urged T.N. CM Stalin, who handles police portfolio to focus on curbing illicit liquor and ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future.
Do not politicise the issue: DK
Dravidar Kazhagam president K. Veeramani said the issue need not be politicized.
The priority should be to take precautionary measures to ensure that such incidents do not happen again, he said
Mr. Veeramani said the DMK government has acted swiftly on the issue by appointing a one-member commission to probe the incident.
Published - June 20, 2024 04:07 pm IST
