Official sources said so far 156 people, mostly down trodden, died in three hospitals in Diamond Harbour and Kolkata in the worst hooch tragedy in the state. Altogether 340 hooch victims had been admitted in three hospitals since Tuesday night, official sources said on Friday. “We fear that the hooch toll may rise further with 60-odd victims still remaining critical,” the sources said.

Police said so far 12 people had been arrested for running illicit liquor dens in the area. However, the two kingpins in the hooch trade are still absconding even though raids are being conducted to apprehend them. Most of the victims were poor labourers, rickshaw-pullers and hawkers, who fell ill after consuming the spurious liquor from several illegal joints since Tuesday night. 

The victims mostly complained of stomach pain, vomiting, chest pain and body ache, doctors said. The victims were initially rushed to Diamond Harbor sub-divisional hospital from where the critically ill were sent to M R Bangur and Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital.

The ruling and opposition parties have started trading charges against each other over the tragedy. While Senior Trinamool Congress leader and Industry Minister Partho Chatterjee accused the CPI(M) for mixing poison in the illicit liquor, leader of the opposition and CPI (M) leader Surya Kanta Mishra alleged that the kingpins behind the illegal trade belonged to the Trinamool Congress and had been working in close operation with a Panchayat Pradhan and a legislator of the ruling party.

The relatives of the victims, however, alleged that the mafias had been running these illegal liquor dens with close cooperation of police, excise officials and political parties. They also blamed inadequate arrangement in the sub-divisional hospital for the death of large number of people. “There is no infrastructure in the hospital. The victims were being given saline and injection only. But there is no effort to clear out the poison from the body,” they alleged.

They alleged that Badshah Khan, the owner of the liquor den at Sangrampore, the scene of the tragedy, and his associate Bakkar managed to flee away because of their connection. The state health department has cancelled leave of all the doctors and paramedical staff to cope with the situation. Medical teams were rushed to Diamond Harbour sub-divisional hospital to assist the doctors there.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered a CID inquiry into the tragedy.She had also ordered a crackdown on illegal liquor vendors. She had also decided to convene an all party meeting to discuss the issue and prevention of such tragedies in future. The state government and the Zilla Parishad had already announced Rs 2 lakh compensation for the family of each victim.