Kallakurichi hooch tragedy not a sequel to 2023 tragedies in Villupuram and Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu govt. tells Madras High Court
Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena says the methanol composition in source samples was detected to be 99.1% in the 2023 incidents whereas in Kallakurchi, it was only between 8.6% and 29.7%
The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday told the Madras High Court that the 2024 Kallakurichi hooch tragedy cannot be considered as a sequel to the 2023 hooch tragedies at Marakkanam in Villupuram district and at Chithamur in Chengalpattu district, since the source and quantum of methanol were different.
In a status report filed before the first Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice R. Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffiq, Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena said the methanol composition in the samples was detected to be 99.1% in the 2023 incidents whereas in Kallakurchi it was only between 8.6% and 29.7%
Explaining the steps taken by the State government after the 2023 incidents, the Chief Secretary said massive raids were conducted against illicit arrack and spurious liquor across the State leading to the arrest of 159 persons in 2023 and 95 more till May this year. He also listed the action taken against prohibition offences since 2021.
To prevent recurrence of such incidents, all district police teams had been provided with WhatsApp numbers to receive complaints regarding illicit arrack and the action taken by them with respect to the complaints was being reviewed by the Enforcement unit every week.
Industrial units using methanol were being checked diligently to prevent pilferage or diversion for use as arrack and the prohibition enforcement wing had intensified raids to eradicate illicit arrack in the State. Notorirous prohibition offenders were being detained under the Goondas Act, the Chief Secretary said.
Action taken on intelligence inputs from the enforcement wing was being reviewed at the police headquarters every month and massive awareness campaigns were also being conducted in vulnerable areas since most of the illicit arrack consumers were gullibe socio economically backward persons, the officer added.
Mr. Meena said, a call attention motion moved by AIADMK Kallakurichi MLA M. Senthilkumar on March 29, 2023 regarding the sale of spurious liquor was disallowed by the Speaker and hence the matter was neither discussed in Legislative Assembly nor a notice of it was received by the government authorities.
“Several hundreds of call attention motions are submitted in the Assembly Secretariat and the honourable Speaker, depending upon the seriousness and accuracy of the information permits discussions. When the rest are rejected, the government hardly ever receives information unless the Speaker forwards it,” he added.
Asserting that the entire State machinery acted assiduously in the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy (which had so far claimed 65 lives) and brought the situation under control by mobilising required number of medical officers and paramedical staff, the officer said, the lives of 145 people had been saved due to effective treatment.
Also stating that 21 persons had been arrested within two weeks of the incident, the Chief Secretary said, the then Kallakurchi Superintendent of Police, two Deputy Superintendents of Police, three Inspectors of Police, two Sub Inspectors and the Writer of Kallakurichi police station had been suspended from service.
The status report was filed in response to two public interest litigation petitions filed by AIADMK advocate I.S. Inbadurai and Pattali Makkal Katchi advocate K. Balu seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. The Chief Secretary opposed the plea and said, the State police had already examined 132 witnesses.
After State Public Prosecutor Hasan Mohamed Jinnah submitted the status report, Additional Advocate General J. Ravindran sought time for the appearance of Advocate General P.S. Raman. The AAG said, A-G’s mother Kalpakam Raman had passed away on Wednesday morning and therefore he could not attend court.
Accepting his request, the judges adjourned the hearing on the two PIL petitions to July 10. In the meantime, advocate A. Mohan Doss too filed a separate PIL petition in the High Court seeking a CBI probe into the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy.
- Telegram
SEE ALL
PRINT