The death toll in the Malad hooch tragedy on Saturday climbed to 84 even as the Excise department suspended four of its officials in connection with the incident.
Four persons were sentenced to life imprisonment and 15 others sent to jail for two years by a local court for supplying spurious liquor to a group of people as a result of which 87 people had died in a suburb here in 2004.
Wails of grief shook West Bengal's Sangrampur and neighbouring villages as the toll in the state's worst-ever illicit liquor tragedy shot up to 143 amid fears that this may rise further with over 100 victims including labourers, rickshaw-pullers and hawkers battling for life.
With 14 more persons succumbing to illness caused by spurious liquor, the death toll in Odisha hooch tragedy mounted to 19 today prompting the state government to order a judicial probe into the episode.
Defending the liquor ban in Bihar, he said that the state's prohibition policy has benefitted several people and a large number of people have given up drinking alcohol due to his measures.
After visiting those being treated at Villupuram government medical college hospital, Chief Minister MK Stalin told reporters Villupuram that investigation into the matter would be transferred to the CB-CID and he assured tough action.
Thirty four people belonging to Kallakurichi district have died following consumption of 'methanol mixed arrack', Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Thursday.
11 people died on Friday and some more were taken ill after allegedly consuming spurious liquor sold by a licensed vendor in Aligarh, a senior official said.
Ironically, rival Tamil Nadu governments expend the most on social welfare schemes, especially targeting women and youth and children, but that money comes only by selling more liquor. There is always the specious plea, which has been peddled very many times in the past, that without licensed liquor, drinkers would go after hooch and there could be more hooch tragedies and hooch deaths. No one is convinced, but no one can dispute it either, comments N Sathiya Moorthy.
The ghastly hooch tragedy has struck Karnataka once again and this time it has claimed 86 lives. The deadliest tragedy occurred in Karnataka in 1981 in which 323 people lost their lives after consuming spurious liquor. There have been five such incidents, including this one, after the 1981 fiasco and ironically in none of the incidents, have the police managed to make any headway where the investigations are concerned.
The death toll in the hooch tragedy rose to 48 as 32 people died on Wednesday during treatment in various hospitals of Ahmedabad, the police said.
Kejriwal's new jobs promise comes days after he assured free electricity up to 300 units per month if voted to power in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state where polls are due by the year-end.
The latest deaths have been recorded in Samastipur district. Earlier, at least 33 people died in Gopalganj and West Champaran districts upon consuming spurious liquor.
The Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party unit on Monday expelled Rishi Sharma, the alleged kingpin in the hooch tragedy case, from the party and said he was not an active member.
Licensed bars in major UP cities could earlier remain open up to 1 am, or 3 am if they were located in five-star hotels. Unlike before, hotels in small cities can also apply for a liquor licence.
The Patna high court has struck down the conviction of all 13 accused in the first major hooch tragedy that struck Bihar after the state went dry six years ago.
'The chief minister has said on the floor of the House that he knows everything (about the criminal-politician mafia).' 'If you know about this nexus, why aren't you acting against them?' 'Ask him why is he so helpless.'
An amendment bill is likely to be tabled in the next session of the assembly in February.
The toll in Mumbai's worst hooch tragedy rose to 102 on Monday with the death of five more victims who consumed spurious liquor in Malad area and another 46 are in hospitals with eight of them struggling to survive serious ill-effects of the killer brew.
According to Santosh Kumar, the superintendent of police of Saran district, three persons each have died in Isuapur and Mashrak police station areas after allegedly consuming spurious liquor on Tuesday night.
A key accused in Malvani hooch tragedy, which claimed over a hundred lives, was arrested by Ahmedabad police.
Huma Qureshi's Rani Bharti was the ace in the pack, but everything that she does in this season smacks more of script conveniences than careful plotting, observes Deepa Gahlot.
In order to stop the production and sale of illicit liquor, Maharashtra government is considering a proposal to amend the existing law.
The death toll in the hooch tragedy in Mumbai has climbed to 41 while the condition of 24 victims continued to be critical even as three persons were arrested and eight cops suspended.
The toll in the hooch tragedy in Lucknow and Unnao districts climbed to 38 on Tuesday with the death of seven more persons even as the state excise commissioner was removed in connection with the incident and a state-wide crackdown launched by police against sale of spurious liquor.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who has expressed grave concern over the Gopalganj tragedy has said that culprits would be dealt under the stringent new liquor law.
Rediff Labs analyses the relationship between alcohol and revenue generated and reported drunken driving accidents.
Taking a swipe at DMK president's statement that the party would take steps to implement prohibition if voted to power in the next elections, AIADMK said it was done with an eye on polls.
Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi "Saheb" during a discussion on the government's resolution on good works in the Delhi assembly's special session, Kejriwal said the nation is not with him in his "theatrics".
Wednesday's Vikravandi by-election has become a referendum on the Stalin government, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Kerala Congress President V M Sudheeran on why the state needs to get sober.
P Balakrishna Reddy was sentenced Reddy to three years rigorous imprisonment in a two-decade old riot case related to a protest against illicit liquor in Hosur.
Given the sheer size of the state, achieving a similar turnaround in Punjab as promised could be a different ball game altogether, reports Sai Manish.
Malayalam film The Dolphins gets preachy after a while, says Paresh C Palicha.
'Scindia did not just come to a new party, it was an ideological shift for him. In the past one and a half years, Scindia never lost communication with RSS leaders in the state. He left no stone unturned to ensure his acceptability in the party'
If purists are surprised as to why and how people are not demanding prohibition or not talking about past promises, both in the election manifestos five years back and even those made to the courts, the answer lies in how the state has been evolving and changing these past few years, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
The Centre on Saturday issued fresh guidelines relaxing the nationwide lockdown, the fourth phase of which ends on May 31.
Families, torn apart by the Malvani hooch tragedy, where 104 people lost their lives confront a dark and hopeless future.
'Any person who wants to enter this service should have a single object of serving the public irrespective of hindrances.'
