rooster59 Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 Bootleg liquor kills at least 84 in northeast India, 200 hospitalised By Zarir Hussain GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) - At least 84 people have died from drinking toxic bootleg liquor in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, and around 200 others have been hospitalised, a state government minister said on Saturday. The deaths come less than two weeks after more than 100 people died from drinking tainted alcohol in two northern Indian states, Uttarkhand and Uttar Pradesh. Police have arrested twelve people in connection with making bootleg alcohol in Assam, a practice local politicians say is rampant in the area's tea estates, where its is drunk by poorly-paid labourers after a tough day's work in the plantations. "Every 10 minutes we are getting reports of casualties from different places. So far about 200 people are in hospital with many of them critical," Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told Reuters via telephone. "Doctors from nearby districts and other medical colleges have been rushed in to deal with the crisis," said Sarma, after visiting patients at Jorhat, located some 300 kilometres east of the state's financial hub, Guwahati. Deaths from illegally produced alcohol, known locally as hooch or country liquor, are common in India, where many cannot afford branded spirits. The death tolls from the two recent incidents, however, are believed to be the deadliest since a similar case killed 172 in West Bengal in 2011. Dilip Rajbnonshi, a doctor at the government hospital in Golaghat, located some 40 kilometres southwest of Jorhat said the deaths were due to "spurious country liquor". A number of women are among the casualties. Many of those that drank the liquor were tea plantation workers who had just received their weekly wages, according to another state government official. "I asked some of the patients why they consume liquor almost everyday and they said after a hard day's work in the plantations they drink to relieve stress and tiredness," health minister Sarma said. Mrinal Saikia, a local lawmaker from the Bharatiya Janata Party - which is in control of the federal and Assam state governments - said alcohol, often laced with cattle feed and battery acid, is being supplied "in gallons" to tea plantation workers. "This is a big business in areas surrounding tea gardens where people set up illegal distilleries to make country liquor," he said. -- © Copyright Reuters 2019-02-24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotBenz8888 Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 16 minutes ago, rooster59 said: often laced with cattle feed and battery acid, Must've tasted worse than Tequila. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jollyhangmon Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 Jeezers man, getting more casualties for sure ... should have stuck with the traditional poison of these lands - how often does one read something like this about da MaryJane ... ??! RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stargeezr Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 It is sad to read about poor people dying of the homemade hooch, when their rich employers could have gotten them some branded stuff. India does have lots of rich people too, but they do not care about the poor. Just like the rich of most countries Geezer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanemax Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 They should get a volunteer to drink some in the morning and if he is still alive in the evening , everyone else should proceed to drink the rest of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven100 Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 maybe the empty Round-Up bottles weren't clean enough at the start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simple1 Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 23 minutes ago, steven100 said: maybe the empty Round-Up bottles weren't clean enough at the start. denatured ethyl alcohol - common killer with home brewed alcohol in India Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogavnture Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 hooch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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