Gujarat: Death toll in hooch tragedy rises to 33; govt forms probe panel

The death toll due to the consumption of spurious liquor made from highly poisonous methyl alcohol in Gujarat has gone up to 33, a senior police official said on Tuesday. Primary investigations have revealed some small-time bootleggers of different villages of Botad district had made spurious liquor or hooch by mixing water with methyl alcohol or methanol and sold it to villagers for Rs 20 per pouch, police said. "So far, 33 persons - 24 in Botad district and 9 in its neighbouring Ahmedabad - have died after consuming spurious liquor," said the police official attached with the State Monitoring Cell in Gandhinagar.

Addressing a press conference in the afternoon, Gujarat Director General of Police Ashish Bhatia had said 28 persons have lost their lives after consuming spurious liquor.

He added that nearly 45 persons are admitted to hospitals in Bhavnagar, Botad and Ahmedabad. Later, five more deaths occurred in Botad and Ahmedabad districts. The liquor tragedy came to light on early Monday morning when some people living in Rojid village in Botad and other surrounding villages were referred to government hospitals in Barvala area and Botad towns after their health condition started deteriorating. Three FIRs have been registered against 14 main culprits under sections 302 (murder), 328 (causing hurt by poison) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC, said Bhatia, adding six persons have been arrested by police so far. "Forensic analysis has established that the victims had consumed methyl alcohol. We have booked 14 persons on the charges of murder and other offnences and already detained majority of the accused for further investigation," Bhatia told reporters in Gandhinagar.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat Home Department has formed a three-member committee, headed by senior IPS officer Subhash Trivedi, to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident and submit a report within three days, said a state government release. The other two members of the committee are Director of Prohibition and Excise MA Gandhi and Director of Gujarat Forensic Science Laboratory HP Sanghvi. Police investigation so far has revealed a person named Jayesh aka Raju had stolen 600 liters of methyl alcohol from a godown in Ahmedabad where he works as a manager and then sold it to his Botad-based cousin Sanjay for Rs 40,000 on July 25, said Bhatia. "Despite knowing that it's an industrial solvent, Sanjay sold that chemical to bootleggers of different villages of Botad.

These bootleggers mixed water in that chemical and sold it to people as country-made liquor," said the DGP. As per an FIR lodged with the Barvala police station of Botad, the chemical-laced hooch was sold in pouches by bootleggers to several people on July 25 at Rojid, Ranpari, Chandarva, Devgana, Chokdi and some other villages. The deceased included people from neighbouring Dhandhuka taluka of Ahmedabad district as they had come to Botad to consume liquor. At Rojid village of Barvala taluka, the epicentre of the tragedy, a bootlegger named Gajuben Vaddariya told the police that she had purchased 20 liters of methanol for Rs 2,000 from one Pintu Devipujak and sold it to several people by mixing water in it, the FIR said. The FIR said as many as 10 persons from Rojid village alone had lost their lives after consuming the hooch on July 25. "Blood samples of the deceased confirmed that they had consumed methanol.

We have so far seized 460 liters of that chemical. Following a clampdown on the manufacturers of illegal liquor, bootleggers had decided to acquire this ready-made chemical from other sources and sell it as country-made liquor by just mixing water in it," said Bhatia.

During the day, Gujarat Congress president Jagdish Thakor along with Leader of Opposition Sukhram Rathva visited Sir Takhtsinhji General Hospital in Bhavnagar and met those undergoing treatment. Thakor demanded that the kin of each deceased be paid a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and said the opposition party has sought an appointment with the Gujarat Governor to make a representation on this issue. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal also visited the hospital in Bhavnagar and attacked the BJP government claiming it has failed to strictly implement the liquor prohibition policy. Kejriwal, who is touring Gujarat ahead of the Assembly polls due later this year, demanded compensation for the kin of the deceased as well as those undergoing treatment. Gujarat Minister of Education Jitu Vaghani said this was not the time for politics. "At this time, people should stand besides those who are suffering," said the BJP leader.