Two persons died after consuming liquor in ‘dry state’ Gujarat, leading to criticism of the BJP government in the state from opposition leaders.
The deceased were identified as Vikram Thakor (35) and Kanaji Jhala (40).
Five more people from the same village have been put under medical observation as a precautionary measure and their condition is reported to be stable, the police said.
Despite initial suspicions by the police regarding a potential hooch incident, reports from the forensic science laboratory (FSL) upon examination of blood samples from the deceased dispelled those concerns.
A case of accidental death has been registered at the Rakhiyal police station in Dehgam tehsil.
The deceased were labourers from Lihoda village in Gandhinagar district and they had consumed countrymade liquor in ‘dry state’ Gujarat.
“The FSL report indicates the absence of methyl alcohol, leading us to dismiss the possibility of it being hooch. However, the examination of intestine and blood samples revealed an alarming 370% alcohol content, with lethality typically observed at around 350%. The deceased individuals had consumed an excessive amount of alcohol, with the number of units appearing remarkably high. As per our investigation, this is the cause of their demise,” the police said.
Typically, countrymade liquor contains 12-15% alcohol by volume (ABV), but in this specific instance, it registered at a higher concentration of 22%. However, it’s important to note that even at 22%, this falls considerably below the alcohol content found in scotch whiskey, which typically ranges between 35-40% ABV, said an official.
Gopal Italia, a member of the Aam Aadmi Party, strongly condemned the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for the incident and said that at a time when impoverished individuals are losing their lives to illicitly sourced spurious liquor, the government appears to be easing prohibition in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City).
Gujarat is a ‘dry’ state where manufacture and sale of liquor is banned. The Gujarat Prohibition Act states that the police can arrest a person for purchasing, consuming, or serving alcohol without a valid license or permit, with punishment ranging from three months to five years imprisonment.
Meanwhile, authorities at GIFT City have recently issued a license to Grand Mercure hotel and an associated club within the city, allowing them to serve alcohol to their customers.
In November, seven individuals lost their lives in Kheda district after consuming a counterfeit herbal syrup contaminated with methanol. The syrup, sold under the name ‘Kalmeghasav – Asava Arishta’ by Kishor Sodha, was consumed by approximately 55 people. Although Kishor and 49 others survived, his father died after consuming the syrup. The police booked Kishor and three others, all residents of Vadodara.
In July 2022, at least 45 people, all belonging to poor families, lost their lives in a hooch tragedy in Botad district. The police claimed the incident was caused due to the mixing of a chemical sold by bootleggers, who sourced it from a godown of a chemical company in Ahmedabad.
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