Vijaywada: Five persons died and 29 others were hospitalised after consuming spurious liquor at a bar in the city on Monday. The condition of five victims is stated to be critical.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who visited the kin of the deceased and the ailing, announced Rs.5 lakh ex-gratia to the kin of each of the five victims. He has also ordered a magisterial inquiry into the alleged hooch tragedy.
It is said that 34 persons fell unconscious after consuming liquor at Swarna Bar at Krishnalanka on Monday. While two died on the spot, three died in the hospital.
The victims were identified as P. Gopi, Kalandhar, K. Shankar Rao, Mastan Vali and M. Mahesh. They were all natives of Nehru Nagar of Krishnalanka and were daily wage labourers.
The police have collected samples of the liquor as well as the water served in the bar to ascertained if Illicitly Distilled (ID) liquor was served or the water served was contaminated enough to claim lives.
Doctors who are attending to the victims said there must have been a huge amount of poisonous substances in the liquor supplied. Meanwhile, rumours spread that the bar was being run by former Congress MLA Malladi Vishnu. However, Mr. Vishnu clarified to the media that the bar was being run by his relatives and not owned by him. Locals alleged that the bar owner, who had obtained licence for a wine shop, was illegally running the bar.
Police and Excise officials took some workers of the bar into custody. Vijayawada East MLA Gadde Rammohan Rao, Mayor Koneru Sridhar, Collector Babu A., Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) L. Kalidas Venkata Ranga Rao and other officials visited the hospital.
