Spiked liquor kills 28 people and sickens 60 more

• A tragedy has occurred due to spiked liquor.
• Authorities confirmed that at least 28 people have died from drinking it.
• Another 60 people were sickened.

At least 28 people have died and another 60 are still sick from drinking adulterated liquor in an area in western India, authorities reported on Tuesday, July 26, according to various media including ABC News, The Washington Post and the AP news agency.

A high government official, Mukesh Parmar, indicated that the deaths occurred in the districts of Ahmedabad and Botad of the state of Gujarat, where it is prohibited to manufacture, sell and consume liquor. It was not immediately known what chemical was used to adulterate the liquor, the reports said.

Spiked liquor causes tragedy

Ashish Gupta, Gujarat state police chief, said several suspected smugglers who were involved in the sale of the adulterated liquor had already been arrested. This information was also reported by the Press Trust of India news agency.

Deaths from illegally brewed alcohol are common in India, where underground liquor is cheaper and chemicals such as pesticides are often added to increase its potency, the AP news agency reported.

Why do they sell adulterated liquor?

Illicit liquor has also become a hugely profitable industry across India, where smugglers pay no taxes and sell huge quantities of their product to the poor at low prices, various media reports mentioned. In fact, in 2020, at least 120 people died after drinking adulterated liquor in the northern Indian state of Punjab, according to the AP.

Vibes of India confirmed 28 people have died in this most recent case but pointed out that there are 40 people who are still fighting for their lives after drinking the adulterated alcohol manufactured in the village of Rojid, in the Botad district. In turn, they reported that a woman identified as Gajuben Pravinbhai Vaddariya was arrested for mixing a chemical with the liquor.

What was the liquor mixed with?

So far, police have seized 12 liters of what has been described as a «colorless chemical» that the woman was storing. The substance appears to be methyl alcohol, also known as methanol. According Vibes of India, more than six people have suffered kidney failure and require dialysis.

The Barwala police have registered a police complaint against 14 people, including Gajuben. The others include four other smugglers and those who facilitated the transportation and purchase of chemicals for later use in the manufacture of the adulterated liquor.

A mother’s pain

Madhuben Vaghela, the mother of Deepak Ranchhodlal, who is fighting for his life in Sonawala hospital in Botad city, told Vibes of India categorically: “My son is an alcoholic. He can’t live without alcohol. Every day, be it Sunday or Monday, he drinks in Chokdi village or Rojid village and comes home completely drunk. I don’t know what’s in the liquor he drinks, but he drinks every night and he had gotten drunk on Monday too.»

Madhuben is like several other women who do not know that there is a ban in Gujarat. When Vibes of India told her that information, she replied, “But if you say that alcohol cannot be made or sold in Gujarat, how come it is so readily available in milk bags in my village? She cried uncontrollably when told that her son could die because he had consumed chemicals, and said: “No, my son drank alcohol that might have chemicals in it, but he didn’t drink any chemicals.»