More than two dozen people have died and as many as 30 others are still fighting for their lives after consuming counterfeit alcohol in India’s western Gujarat state.
The incident occurred on Monday morning when residents in Rojid village in Barwala and Botad towns in the state were admitted to government-run hospitals after they started feeling seriously ill.
Two died in the morning and another five lost their lives while undergoing treatment during the day. Three more died during treatment late on Monday night, said Ashish Bhatia, Director General of Police in the state.
About 30 people are still undergoing treatment at various government hospitals in Bhavnagar, Botad, Barvala and Dhandhuka, and some are said to be critical.
Himmat Bhai, who is recovering at a hospital in Barwala, told local media that he fell ill after purchasing the liquor from a bootlegger on Sunday night.
Alcoholic drinks are banned in Gujarat — the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi — and only those with special “health permits” from the government can drink alcohol.
Anyone caught purchasing, consuming or serving alcohol without a permit can be jailed for five years.
“The state government is taking appropriate action in the episode. Opposition parties should refrain from defaming the state government by such petty politics,” Yamal Vyas, a spokesman for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, said.
Gujarat police have formed an investigation team with the anti-terrorism squad. Three people are said to be suspects; a warehouse manager associated with a methyl business and his relatives.
An initial investigation has found that the methyl stolen from the warehouse was poured in sachets and sold as liquor.
Deaths from illegally-produced alcohol, popularly called hooch or country liquor in local parlance, are common in India, where few can afford branded spirits.
At least 150 people died in Gujarat's city of Ahmedabad in 2009, in one of India's worst hooch incidents.
Thirteen died in eastern Bihar — another dry state with a history of hooch tragedies — after consuming spurious liquor in May, and more than 35 died in the state after drinking fake alcohol while celebrating Holi, the festival of colour, in March of this year.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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