Kallakurichi Hooch tragedy: SC Commission Chairman meets families of victims

Kallakurichi (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 27 (ANI): National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) Chairman Kishor Makwana, on Wednesday, met the families of hooch tragedy victims in the Karunapuram area as the death toll increased to 63 and criticised the Tamil Nadu government for not taking action against the manufacture and sale of illicit liquor in the state.
He offered his condolences to the deceased and prayed for the speedy recovery of those who are undergoing treatment.

After meeting with the victims, Kishor Makwana said, "I offer my condolences to the deceased in the Hooch tragedy and pray for the speedy recovery of those undergoing treatment. We met the kin of the deceased."
Quoting the data of last year's death due to illicit liquor, Makwana criticized the government for not taking action against the manufacture and sale of illicit liquor and said, "The manufacture and sale of illicit liquor had been going on in the area for a long time but the administration and government did not pay attention. Last year, 23 people lost their lives in a similar tragedy in the state. Most of the deceased belong to the SC/ST community."
Furthermore, he demanded jobs, homes, and education allowances for the victim families by stating, "The deceased were all very poor and the only earning members of their families. Their families should be given jobs, homes, and education allowance for their children. The commission demands strict action to ensure such incidents are not repeated."
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took a suo moto cognisance of the same, and issued notices to the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary and the Director-General of state police, seeking a detailed report on the incident within a week.
Earlier, on Wednesday, a three-member delegation of the National Commission for Women, led by Khushbu Sundar, visited the families of victims who lost their lives by consuming illicit liquor in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district.
The NCW had earlier taken suo motto cognizance of a media report on the deaths of people in the incident and constituted a three-member inquiry committee, led by NCW Member Khushbu Sundar, to look into the matter.
As per it, the NCW delegation led by Khushbu Sundar has come to Kallakurichi district to inquire about the incident and to meet the family members of the persons who have died by drinking illicit liquor in Kallakurichi district.
Khushbu Sundar said that she would submit the inquiry report tomorrow itself and again urged for a CBI investigation into the matter.
The death toll in the hooch tragedy rose to 63 as per Kallakurich District Collectorate data on Wednesday evening.
Currently, 88 people are undergoing treatment in total, out of which 47 are admitted to the Government Kallakurichi Medical College and Hospital and 63 have been discharged in total from the Government Kallakurichi Medical College, as per the hospital authorities.
9 people have been admitted to the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) Puducherry and a total of six have been discharged from the hospital. A total of five people have passed away at JIPMER.
29 people are undergoing treatment at Salem Medical College, while 22 have passed away, as reported by hospital authorities. Two people are currently admitted to the Villupuram Medical College and two have been discharged from there.
One person has been admitted to the Royapettah Greater Hospital in Chennai. Two people admitted to Sri Sanjeevi Hospital have been discharged.
The total number of people affected by the consumption of illicit liquor has now increased to 225. (ANI)