The tragedy that took more than 50 lives at Kallakurichi – 34 of them in Karunapuram, a Dalit colony located in the heart of the town alone – has exposed a lethal nexus between a local bootlegger and law enforcement, which had allowed the sale of illicit liquor to thrive unchecked and in full public view. In a ground investigation, The News Minute pieced together the story of how the accused – Govindaraj alias Kannukutty – almost single-handedly built a small-scale liquor business of sorts based out of Karunapuram, with the round-the-clock sale of cheap methanol-laced arrack packets and the silent and methodical complicity of the police.
People in Karunapuram and other areas often preferred Kannukutty’s illicit drink packets to the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC)’s authorised liquor, primarily due to its cheap prices and 24/7 availability. His business began as early as 3 am and was often the first stop for those who left for work early in the morning.
