In village worst affected by hooch tragedy, illicit liquor menace hovers again in poll season

ROORKEE: In Bindu Khata village that saw over 20 deaths in the hooch tragedy that killed more than 100 people in western UP and

Uttarakhand

recently, the menace of illicit liquor is again hovering during the poll season when locals says hooch is being distributed to influence voters.

A spot visit to the village reveals that even though most villagers lost a family member in what was termed as Uttarakhand’s worst hooch tragedy, consumption of illicit liquor continues in the area. “It's election time and we hear that liquor is again being distributed. We have not yet recovered from the loss of our family members, and the menace of hooch has again come to haunt us. If people don't learn a lesson now, they will never learn it,” said Santosh Devi, 63, who lost her son in the tragedy.

Similar sentiments are voiced by other villagers.

Gulshan Kumar

, 20, who was one of the survivors of the tragedy, told TOI, “Police had destroyed the hooch manufacturing units in the fields but it’s open secret that liquor is available here easily. The only difference is that earlier, the men used to drink openly but now, they drink after dark.” Kumar, who lost his father, elder brother and part of his eyesight in the incident, says that he “deeply regrets having consumed the hooch.” “I have learnt my lesson now and do two tasks every day. First is to pay a visit to the doctor, and second is to ensure that none of my friends consume illicit liquor.”

In the house of Sushil Kumar, another victim of the hooch tragedy, his son Sachin had to drop out from college after Kumar’s death.

“I am now driving the e-rickshaw that my father used to drive. I wanted to study further but now, when we hardly have any money, it’s impossible to pursue my dreams. The government has also not released the compensation they had promised to us.”

Mamta Rakesh, Congress MLA from Bhagwanpur assembly constituency under which Bindu Khata lies, when queried about the issue, chose to put the onus of the situation on the state government.

“One can see the BJP-led state government’s seriousness towards the tragedy which was the worst in the history of Uttarakhand simply from the fact that two months after the deaths, not a single penny has been released for the victims,” she said.