The 2008 Karnataka-Tamil Nadu alcohol poisonings was an incident in the southern Indian states of
Karnataka and
Tamil Nadu in May 2008 in which 180 people reportedly died after consuming illicit liquor.
This incident is considered to be the worst
methanol poisoning in the country since at least 2000.
Incident
On 18 May 2008, some people from the
Bangalore Urban,
Bangalore Rural and
Kolar district in the state of Karnataka and neighbouring
Krishnagiri district in the state of Tamil Nadu, consumed
moonshine
Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial dist ...
(illicit liquor) made with
camphor
Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel ('' Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the k ...
and tobacco. This drink contained toxic
methyl alcohol, which initially caused the death of 156 people. Of these, 56 were in urban Bangalore, 27 were in rural Bangalore, 32 were in Kolar, and 41 were in Krishnagiri.
Several people were hospitalised complaining of stomach pain and vomiting. A small number lost their eyesight. The death toll later rose to 180 as hospitalised victims died. Poor people prefer illicit liquor as it is cheaper than
Indian Made Foreign Liquor, which was the main reason for the incident.
Aftermath
Police arrested 52 people for producing and supplying the poisonous liquor. After the tragedy, the governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu started an awareness campaign to encourage people not to consume illicit liquor. In Karnataka, the opposition party blamed the then-ruling coalition for the tragedy and stated that decision to ban
arrack was the reason for the incident. In Tamil Nadu, some political parties demanded reintroduction of
prohibition in the state. The Tamil Nadu government suspended 21 policemen for the incident. Bangalore police arrested a kingpin of the illicit liquor network, but the prime supplier committed suicide.
See also
*
List of alcohol poisonings in India
*
List of methanol poisoning incidents
Outbreaks of methanol poisoning have occurred when methanol is used to adulterate moonshine (bootleg liquor).
Methanol is toxic to humans. If as little as 10 ml of pure methanol is ingested, for example, it can break down into formic acid, w ...
References
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Alcohol-related deaths in India
Methanol poisoning incidents
History of Karnataka (1947–present)
Krishnagiri district
Alcohol in Tamil Nadu
May 2008 events in India
2008 crimes in India
2000s in Karnataka
Crime in Tamil Nadu