India
Tamil Nadu Assembly Receives Report Blaming Officials for 2024 Kallakurichi Liquor Deaths
A judicial inquiry into the 2024 illicit arrack tragedy in Kallakurichi, which claimed 69 lives, has found officials of the Prohibition and Excise Department responsible for the deaths. The report by the Justice B. Gokuldas Commission of Inquiry was tabled in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
The report stated that had authorities responsible for monitoring and scrutinizing the storage, transport, and sale of methanol performed their duties diligently, the toxic chemical would not have been able to travel from Chennai to Kallakurichi.
The Commission also assigned responsibility to police officers holding the ranks of Sub-Inspector, Inspector, and Deputy Superintendent of Police who were attached to regular police stations in Kallakurichi, Sankarapuram, and Kachirapalayam, as well as officers from the Prohibition Enforcement Wing stationed in Kallakurichi and Tirukovilur.
Additionally, Village Assistants, Village Administrative Officers, Revenue Inspectors, and Tahsildars from the Kallakurichi, Sankarapuram, and Kachirapalayam taluks were named as responsible parties, according to the retired judge's findings. The Commission recommended that the government take appropriate action, including departmental inquiries, against officials who were serving in these positions immediately following the tragedy.
Among its recommendations, the Commission urged the government to arrange education, food, and shelter for children who were orphaned as a result of their parents' deaths, and to guarantee them government employment once they complete their schooling.
The report also called for the establishment of industries in Kallakurichi to create job opportunities for educated, skilled, and unskilled youth in the district. Justice Gokuldas further recommended forming a dedicated Prohibition Enforcement Wing specifically for the Kalvarayan Hills region, which he identified as the main source of the illicit arrack. The report additionally suggested upgrading the police station located in Kariyalur.