KARACHI: Twenty-three people, mostly young men including a policeman, died while 22 others were admitted to hospital in a critical condition after they consumed home-made toxic liquor in different parts of the city during the Eid holidays, officials said on Wednesday.

Police said most of the victims were Muslim.

Three young men were brought dead to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) on Tuesday evening, said Dr Seemin Jamali.

After that 20 more youths died, taking the death toll to 23 by late Wednesday night. She added that 22 more people had been admitted for treatment, all in a critical condition.

Dr Jamali said Imran and Sajid died during treatment at the hospital while Juma, 35, was brought dead — all from the Landhi area.

However, relevant police officials downplayed the number of casualties.

Landhi police said a young man, Amir Hamza, died in their area.

Korangi police said Salman, a police van driver, died in the area falling within their jurisdiction. Zaman Town police said Mustaqeem died in a locality falling within their remit. Similarly, Sharafi Goth police claimed that two men, Amir and Amjad, died from drinking toxic liquor. Quaidabad police said Ejaz Asmat became unconscious after consuming toxic liquor on Monday. He was admitted to the JPMC, where he died on Wednesday. Two men died at Chanesar Goth in Mehmoodabad.

Dr Jamali said the victims were aged between 17 and 30 years. They died after consuming methanol, a poisonous liquid used in ‘country-wine’. She said that even if those currently undergoing treatment survived, their kidneys and eyesight would be damaged by menthol effects.

The deaths occurred in three districts of Karachi, said Landhi SP Akhter Farooq, who is also a member of the inquiry team led by DIG-East Munir Ahmed Shaikh that was formed by the Sindh inspector general of police.

SP Farooq said the victims, aged up to 40 years, belonged to Quaidabad and Ibrahim Hydery in Malir district; Korangi, Landhi, Korangi Industrial Area, Awami Colony and Sharafi Goth of Korangi district; and Mehmoodabad, Baloch Colony, Frere and Preedy of south district.

He said initial findings suggested that the ‘manufacturer and distributor’ of the home-made liquor was the same person.

However, SP Farooq said a survivor told the investigators that he bought the liquor at a liquor shop in Sharafi Goth. Police raided the shop and detained a few persons there. The shopkeeper was a permit holder of the excise department, authorised to sell liquor.

The liquor’s samples have been taken to ascertain whether it contained methanol. Since it was authorised, the liquor shop has not yet been sealed. “We are waiting for the report to ascertain the veracity of the claims of the survivor,” said the SP.

He said that such tragedies tended to take place on Christmas, Holi, weddings and holidays.

“On Eidul Fitr, a drowning tragedy took place at the Clifton beach while on Eidul Azha people died after consuming toxic liquor,” said SP-Landhi Farooq, adding that most of the victims were Muslim.

Dr Jamali of the JPMC corroborated his views by saying that such deaths often occurred during holidays. She recalled that some years back about 50 people, mostly young men, died after consuming toxic liquor in the city. Some days ago, over 20 people died after consuming tainted liquor in Hyderabad.

“It is basically a failure of the excise department,” said additional inspector general of police, Karachi, Ghulam Qadir Thebo. He added that issuing a licence for opening a liquor shop and regulating its business was the ‘sole responsibility’ of the excise department, which generated taxes from it and had a separate force to deal with it.

The city police chief said such deaths had also been reported in Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas, which might be attributed to the unavailability of liquor, especially during holidays.

Mr Thebo said since such liquor was being prepared in ‘homes’, it was not easy to detect their manufacturing.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2014