11 people dead after consuming spurious liquor in Aligarh
Aligarh (UP): Eleven people died on Friday and some more were taken ill after allegedly consuming spurious liquor sold by a licensed vendor here, a senior official said.
A time-bound magisterial inquiry has been ordered which will be conducted by an additional district magistrate-rank officer, District Magistrate Chandra Bhushan Singh told media persons.
The administration is likely to invoke the NSA against those found guilty in the inquiry, he said.
Earlier in the day, DIG Dipak Kumar said that the Lodha police station was informed in the morning about the death of two people after consumption of country made liquor bought from a vendor in Karsia.
The victims were truck drivers who had gathered at a gas depot on the Aligarh-Tapaal highway for work, he said.
However, when police and senior district officials reached the spot, they were informed that six more people belonging to Karsia and adjoining villages had died, the DIG said, adding that police teams were rushed to the area and the bodies sent for post-mortem examination.
The DM said information about other people who had consumed liquor bought from the same vendor is trickling in.
Speaking to PTI, Deputy Commissioner, Excise, D Sharma said some of those taken ill were rushed to the district hospital and from there, shifted to the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital, AMU, later.
He said the liquor vend has been sealed and samples have been collected for testing.
According to locals, people had started falling sick from Thursday. Many others from neighbouring villages had also consumed the liquor, they added.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
