In one of the worst-ever hooch tragedies in West Bengal, 111 people, mostly labourers, rickshaw-pullers and hawkers, died and over 50 were still battling for life in three hospitals after consuming spurious liquor at Mograhat in south 24 Parganas district.
The state government today ordered a CID investigation into the hooch tragedy, while seven persons were arrested in this connection.
"111 hooch victims so far died in three hospitals", official sources said.
The killer hooch claimed over 50 lives this morning in Diamond Harbour sub-divisional hospital, M.R. Bangur Hospital and at National Medical college and hospital in Kolkata where all the victims were taken for treatment since on Wednesday.
Most of the dead were poor labourers, rickshaw-pullers and hawkers, who fell ill after consuming the spurious liquor from several illegal joints since Tuesday night, the police said.
The victims mostly complained of stomach pain, vomiting, chest pain and bodyache, doctors said.
Post-mortem of 107 bodies has been done and the bodies handed over to the families, police said.
Diamond Harbour and M.R. Bangur hospitals were crowded with hundreds of relatives of the victims and doctors attending to as many patients as possible.
The state health department has cancelled leave of all the doctors and para-medical staff to cope with the situation.
Medical teams were rushed to Diamond Harbour sub-divisional hospital to assist the doctors there, state minster for Sunderbans development Shyamal Mondal said.
Announcing the CID inquiry into the hooch tragedy in the state assembly, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said seven persons had been arrested on the basis of preliminary administrative enquiry into the incident.
She said that the owner of the liquor den Badshah Khokon, named in the FIR, was absconding.
Investigation into the incident had been handed over to the CID, the chief minister said, adding that something toxic was mixed in the liquor.
She said trade in illicit liquor has been going on for a long time in the state and it is a social problem.
The chief minister said that the state government would help the traders if they switched over to other businesses like setting up tea or fruit stalls.
Banerjee said an all-party decision must be taken on the steps required to end the menace of illicit liquor.
She said the government could have legalised the business and earned revenue for the cash-strapped exchequer, but would not do it. "Character cannot be bought with money," she said.
The chief minister suggested that the all-party meeting be held on December 19 so that she could be present.
Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay agreed to the suggestion and fixed the all-party meeting on that date.
The state government has already announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased.
Union minister of state for information and broadcasting C.M. Jatua, who visited the affected in hospitals, said that mostly those who had consumed liquor in large quantity, had died.
Forty-six persons died after consuming illicit liquor at Gardenreach in 2008, while killer hooch claimed 28 lives at Kidderpore in 2009.