Kallakurich hooch tragedy: After 34 people died consuming illicit liquor, actor and politician Thalapathy Vijay released a strongly worded statement on the matter
Thalapathy Vijay
Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Thalapathy Vijay on Thursday, expressed condolences on the death of 34 people from illicit liquor and called the incident "shocking and heartbreaking." At least 34 people died and over 60 people were hospitalized after allegedly consuming illicit liquor in the Kallakurichi district last night.
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Expressing his condolences on Twitter, Vijay remarked, "The news of the death of more than 25 people after consuming fake liquor in Karunapuram area of Kallakurichi district is shocking and heartbreaking."
Thalapathy Vijay also called out the "indifference" of the government administration and urged the Tamil Nadu government to take strict precautionary measures.
"The fact that such an incident has occurred again shows the indifference of the government administration when it has not yet fully recovered from the tragedy of losing many lives due to the same incident last year," Vijay said.
"I strongly request that the Tamil Nadu government should take strict precautionary measures to prevent such incidents from happening in the future," he added.
கள்ளக்குறிச்சி மாவட்டம், கருணாபுரம் பகுதியில் கள்ளச் சாராயம் அருந்திய 25க்கும் மேற்பட்டோர் காலமான செய்தி, மிகுந்த அதிர்சியையும் மன வேதனையையும் அளிக்கிறது. உயிரிழந்தவர்களின் குடும்பத்தினருக்கு எனது ஆழ்ந்த அனுதாபங்களைத் தெரிவித்துக்கொள்வதோடு, உடல்நலம் பாதிக்கப்பட்டு சிகிச்சை பெற்று…
— TVK Vijay (@tvkvijayhq) June 20, 2024
Thalapathy Vijay has always voiced his opinion on matters concerning Tamil Nadu. Earlier, this year he also announced his political party, expressing his interest in serving the people of the state. He will contest the 2026 Assembly polls in the state. The name of the party 'Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam' would loosely translate to 'Tamil Nadu Victory Party'.In a statement issued by the actor, he said, "We are making an application today to the EC to register our party ‘Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam’. Our goal is to contest and win the upcoming 2026 assembly elections and bring about the fundamental political change that people want."
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has confirmed that the death toll in the incident has risen to 34. He has announced Rs 10 lakh each to the kins of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those undergoing treatment. Stalin has announced an inquiry commission to submit a report on the Kallakurichi Hooch tragedy.
Following the incident, the Tamil Nadu government announced the transfer of District Collector Sravan Kumar Jatavath and suspended Superintendent of Police Samay Singh Meena. MS Prasanth and Rajat Chaturvedi were named as their replacements. This also sparked a political row, with AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami criticizing the ruling DMK government and calling for Chief Minister MK Stalin's resignation.
"Hearing the news that the death toll has risen to 29 due to the consumption of illicit liquor in Kallakurichi has shocked me," Palaniswami expressed in a social media post.
(with inputs from ANI)