2009 Gujarat alcohol poisonings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Gujarat alcohol poisonings occurred in July 2009 in Gujarat, resulting in the death of 136 people[1] from consumption of bootleg liquor.
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
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]