Spurious liquor claims 47 lives in Karnataka, TN

Bangalore: Over 41 people died in Karnataka and six people in neighbouring Tamil Nadu after drinking illicit liquor.

Forty others have been admitted to hospitals and some of them are in a very serious condition. The incident seems to be the biggest hooch tragedies in Karnataka in the recent years.

It was a common scene outside hospitals in Bangalore on Monday. Dozens of dead bodies and their grieving family members all over the place.

Poor labourers and slum dwellers were being brought to these hospitals in autos, two wheelers and ambulances. Sadly most of them returned home dead.

One of the big hooch tragedies revisited Bangalore after several years. More than 27 people died at D J Halli slums after they consumed dangerous potion at a hut for just Rs 5 or Rs 10 on Sunday night.

The tragedy was not limited just to Bangalore. The same spurious liquor claimed another 19 people in neighbouring Anekal and Kolar areas.

Six others died in neighbouring Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu. The politics over tragedy started minutes after the dozens of dead bodies were being sent to morgue. The Congress was first to react.

It has always been opposing ban on cheap government liquor on the grounds that it will lead to consumption of spurious liquor and hooch tragedies.

Party's senior leader B Janardhana Poojary held the previous JDS - BJP government, which banned cheap government liquor responsible for the deaths.

Poojary said, “Yes, previous JDS - BJP government is responsible. Yeddyurappa and Kumaraswamy are responsible. Their decision has led to all this etc."

The BJP, which is selling prohibition as one of the main achievements of its previous government dismissed Congress charges.

Earlier it was believed that the poisonous liquor was actually meant for distribution during voting, held 10 days back in and around Bangalore.

But the police haven't been able establish any link with the polls. They believe that an established illicit liquor mafia is taking advantage of prohibition to market illicit liquor, which kills thousands of people all over the country, every year.

It is considered one of the biggest hooch tragedies in the last 20 years in Bangalore. The politics over tragedy has shocked the family members of victims. They want permanent solution to it and not politics for votes.