2009 Gujarat alcohol poisonings
The Gujarat alcohol poisonings occurred in July 2009 in Gujarat, resulting in the death of 136 people[1] from consumption of bootleg liquor.
Background
[edit]Gujarat had banned alcohol consumption since 1960 as a homage to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. However bootlegged alcohol, known as Hooch, is widely available, allegedly under the patronage of the local police.[2] Gujarat has witnessed several occasions of alcohol poisoning, claiming the lives of more than 400 people after the ban was enforced.[3] To counter the liquor mafia, the state government in 1996 formed the State Prohibition Department, which was dismantled in 2006 because of a shortage of police personnel. During the tenure of the department there were no incidents of alcohol poisoning in Gujarat.[4] The revenue loss to Gujarat government because of the ban is estimated to be around Rs 30 Billion. [5]
Alcohol poisoning
[edit]On 7 July 2009, ten people died in Behrampura after drinking spurious liquor.[6] The liquor was brewed in the house of Arvind Solanki, who also died after consuming the liquor. The death toll rose to 43 next day [7] and crossed 120 by 12 July. [8] Two hundred seventy-six people were admitted in various hospitals with nearly 100 of them in intensive care units.[9] More than 1,000 litres of hooch containing methanol was brought to Ahmedabad from Mahemdavad.[10]
Reactions
[edit]After the incident, there had been demands for repealing the prohibition of alcohol in the state.[11] Vijay Mallya, the chairman of United Breweries, criticised the Gujarat government. He claimed that: "Blanket prohibition has never worked in this free world".[12] The state assembly also witnessed scenes of uproar and demands for the resignation of Narendra Modi, the chief minister of the state.[13] The leader of the opposition of Gujarat Assembly, Shaktisinh Gohil, alleged that Rasik Paramar, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor in the area, was a key figure in the state's bootlegging network.[14]
Following the tragedy, the police conducted more than 8,000 raids in the state, booking 6,713 persons for violation of prohibition[15] On 14 July, the police announced that Vinod Chauhan, the prime accused had managed to slip out of Gujarat.[16] The state government introduced a bill in the state Assembly to amend the Prohibition Law, calling for penal action up to the death penalty for those convicted in spurious liquor cases.[17]
See also
[edit]- Prohibition in Gujarat
- Laththa Commission
- Bombay Prohibition (Gujarat Amendment) 2009
- List of alcohol poisonings in India
References
[edit]- ^ Ahmedabad liquor death toll rises to 136
- ^ crore business under cops' nose'
- ^ Hooch might return to haunt
- ^ Gujarat to build team to counter liquor mafia
- ^ "Call to end Gujarat alcohol ban after 122 deaths". Archived from the original on 2015-07-08. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
- ^ Killer brew claims 10 lives in city
- ^ "Police: Homemade liquor kills 43". Archived from the original on 2009-07-12. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
- ^ Indian Bootleg Liquor Toll Rises to 123 as Gujarat Vows Probe
- ^ Gujarat hooch tragedy: Death toll rises to 136
- ^ Investigation: Cops hand-in-glove with Guj hooch mafia
- ^ In right spirit, Gujarat must end prohibition
- ^ Mallya decries Gujarat liquor ban
- ^ "Gujarat's chief minister faces calls to quit after moonshine poisoning claims 112 in India". The Guardian. 2009-07-10. Archived from the original on 2023-06-27.
- ^ Hooch tragedy kills 122; Modi in a fix
- ^ Gujarat police launch crackdown on hooch
- ^ Key accused in hooch tragedy slips out of Gujarat
- ^ "Hooch Tragedy: Guj for death penalty for convicts". Archived from the original on 2009-07-18. Retrieved 2009-07-16.