TN BJP seeks CBI probe into Kallakurichi hooch tragedy

Chennai: Alleging that the production and sale of illicit liquor in Tamil Nadu took place at the “behest” of ruling DMK functionaries, the state unit of the BJP on Thursday urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to order a CBI probe into the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy and render justice to the victims.

Apprising Shah of the latest development in the state, BJP chief K Annamalai said spurious liquor claimed 36 “invaluable” lives at Karunapuram in Kallakurichi district and over 90 people were being treated in various government hospitals.

“It is feared that the death toll may increase further,” Annamalai said in a letter addressed to the Home Minister.

A similar incident occurred in May 2023 in Marakkanam (Villupuram district) and Chengalpattu district where 23 lives were lost.

“Tamil Nadu lost over 60 lives to hooch in the last two years due to the ineffective governance of the DMK,” he stated in the letter.

The production and sale of illicit liquor in Tamil Nadu happened at the behest of party functionaries and cadres belonging to the DMK and the points of sale were located close to courts, police stations, and other government offices, Annamalai alleged.

“Families of the deceased in the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy claim that the sale of illicit liquor happened in prime areas of the town… it is evident that the sale was done in full public view with the knowledge of local police, who operate under the direction of local political leaders belonging to the DMK,” he claimed.

Hence, considering the “dire state of governance” in Tamil Nadu under the DMK rule, Shah should order a CBI inquiry on this matter, as he firmly believed that the DMK government would curtail the state police from bringing all the persons responsible for the deaths before the court of law, Annamalai contended.