Three men die in Tamil Nadu after consuming hand sanitizer following non-availability of alcohol

Chennai: Three men died in Chengalpattu, about 60 km from Chennai, after they consumed hand sanitizer since alcohol was not available following the nationwide lockdown, police said.

The three men -- K Sivaraman (30) of Karasangal village near Padappai, who was a taxi driver, Shivashankar (32) of Railway colony and Pradeep (32) of Singaperumal Koil, Thirutheri -- were dependent on spurious liquor since the state-owned Tasmac (Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation) outlets were shut down by Tamil Nadu government in the wake of nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The trio became desperate on Sunday night since they couldn't get alcohol. So they consumed hand sanitizer. They fell ill after sometime and were rushed to Chengalpattu government hospital around 10 pm where they succumbed around 12 am, police said.

Unconfirmed reports suggested the trio consumed paint varnish.

In Pudukottai district, last week, three persons had died after consuming soft drinks mixed with after shave lotion as liquor was unavailable.

The neighbouring state of Kerala has reported few suicides by youths after the shutdown of state-owned Bevco (Kerala State Beverages Corporation) outlets.

The Pinarayi Vijayan government was forced to shutdown the outlets following pressure from the opposition.

Subsequently, the government's move to serve Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) to habitual drinkers suffering from alcohol withdrawal syndrome was stayed for a period of three weeks by the Kerala High Court.

The Congress MP TN Prathapan, Indian Medical Association and Kerala Government Medical Officers Association had approached the court against the government's move.

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