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Two more hooch deaths in Kerala

In a related development, the state government suspended deputy excise commissioner R Dinakaran in connection with the Kollam hooch tragedy.

While the total toll rose to 34, some 49 people who drank illicit liquor at Pallipuram near Thiruvananthapuram were admitted to the medical college hospital complaining of failing eyesight, severe headache and vomiting.

Police identified the dead as G B K Nair (50), a constable from the Pallipuram CRPF camp and Kumar (40), a native of Apollo colony, Pallipuram, who sold the killer brew.

The condition of seven of those hospitalised was stated to be serious. Meanwhile, police arrested four persons in connection with the selling of illicit brew at Pallipuram.

The hooch tragedy that shook the state early this week had been showing signs of subsiding with a majority of the over 280 patients getting discharged from the medical college hospital on Thursday evening.

The tragedy first occurred at Kalluvathukkal in Kollam district and spread to Pallickal and Pattazhi areas of Kottarakkara in the district. Isolated cases were reported from Thiruvananthapuram district in the beginning, but there were no casualties.

The current spread of the killer brew comes against the backdrop of the government deciding to appoint a sitting high court judge to probe the tragedy. Police and excise officials have been organising daily raids to unearth hooch and liquor smuggled into Kerala where a ban on arrack is in force since 1996.

An official press release in Thiruvananthapuram said that the government had suspended the deputy excise commissioner, Southern Range, R Dinakaran, in connection with the Kollam tragedy. Dinakaran was suspended based on the preliminary report submitted by the excise commissioner, the release said.

Meanwhile, hospital sources said some 11 more people had been brought from Pallipuram with signs of liquor poisoning, even as Raju, alleged accomplice of Hairunissa, chief accused in the Kalluvathuckal hooch tragedy, lost his eyesight completely.

Lance Naik Wilson (40) from the Pallipuram CRPF camp, who was admitted along with the deceased G B K Nair, said that he had gone to Apollo colony, along with Nair on Thursday night, to celebrate Diwali.

Hailing from the Pozhiyur-Parasalla hooch-making areas in south Kerala, both had taken a liking to illicit liquor since long, he said.

Satheesan (37), a resident of Apollo colony, claimed that the source of the illicit liquor was Attingal. The same source could have supplied the killer brew to Kalluvathukkal, Pallickal, Pattazhi and Pallipuram, he said.

Shyju (24), another victim, had disregarded the advice of his family, who had cautioned him after the Kollam tragedy, not to drink illicit brew.

Meanwhile, leader of the opposition and senior Congress leader A K Antony, who visited Kalluvathukkal in Kollam, said he did not want to politicise the issue.

He maintained that the arrack ban, which he imposed as chief minister in 1996, could not be blamed for the hooch tragedy.

In another development, the Communist Party of India-Marxist state secretariat denied reports in a section of the press that the party had collected Rs 100 million from the liquor lobby during the last Lok Sabha elections.

The party had raised its funds only from common people and not liquor barons, the state secretariat said in a statement.

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