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Adulterated spirit wrought havoc on Raigad village

Meena Menon

As liquor was banned, tribals took to denatured spirit

Pali (Maharashtra): Adulterated spirit is suspected to have claimed 26 lives in the remote Adivasi hamlets near Pali in Sudhagad taluk of Raigad district over the last three days. More victims were being admitted to hospital.

Home-brewed liquor has been banned in the taluk for the past six months and the Adivasis took to drinking denatured spirit. On January 30, Madhu, 35, only son in his family, had a drink from a bottle labelled denatured spirit, which he had bought from a medical shop here, about 130 km from Mumbai.

He started vomiting and died on way to the primary health centre (PHC).

“My son used to drink this earlier too but nothing happened,” said Moru Chimavak. “When I took him to the hospital, they asked me if my son had taken any drink. I said ‘yes’. He drinks often but it was never like this. Earlier the bottles had a bluish liquid, this time it was white and transparent.”

Madhu is survived by his wife Parvati and three children. The family is landless like all other Thakur tribals at Sharadwadi village. Being daily labourers, they are poor. At least seven people have died here.

The police have cracked down on illegal distilleries and enforced a complete ban on home-brewed liquor. Only licensed shops are allowed to sell liquor, the police said.

The government’s Tanta Mukta Yojana (strife-free village programme) was another reason for strict enforcement of the liquor ban.

Kimi Wargude is among the worst sufferers in the tragedy. She lost her husband and two sons.

Bali Punjare, whose husband also died, has no one to turn to and she is too old to work.

Villagers in shock

People at Sharadwadi are in a state of shock. The police found empty bottles of denatured spirit in the village. They seized 83 bottles from the retail shop where it was sold and arrested three persons on Friday.

The owner of a medical store at Pali, Subhash Oswal, and two of his workers, Dattatray and Vilas Musale, were arrested on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, according to Pratap Dighavkar, Superintendent of Police, Raigad.

The first deaths were reported on the morning of January 30 and 21 persons were brought dead to the PHC. Three persons, admitted on Friday, are in a stable condition, according to taluk medical officer S.B. Narvate.

Dr. Narvate said 38 people had been brought to the PHC since January 30. Thirteen of them were shifted to the J.J. Hospital in Mumbai.

Vinod Tawde, Bharatiya Janata Party leader, who visited the area, has demanded the arrest of all those involved in the episode.

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