News Tamil Nadu

How Dravidianist Media Whitewashed The Kallakurichi Hooch Tragedy

June 20, 2024
The Commune

Grief hangs heavily over Kallakurichi in Tamil Nadu following a tragic hooch incident that has claimed the lives of at least 34 people, with fears that the toll may rise further. Nearly 100 people were also hospitalised. However, the Dravidianist media, often seen as supportive of the ruling DMK government, has once again downplayed the incident. News reports include newly coined terms like “poisonous liquor deaths” to mitigate the gravity of the situation caused by illegal liquor, reflecting poorly on Tamil Nadu’s media integrity.

Even though Chief Minister MK Stalin and Public Works Minister E V Velu referred to the incident as “illicit liquor deaths“, the Dravidianist media continues to buttress the DMK by portraying the tragedy as something else. Surprisingly, certain news media have distorted their political leaders’ original remarks, substituting them with “poisonous liquor” in their reports. Let’s take a look at how the Dravidianist media in Tamil Nadu is whitewashing the whole tragedy.

Let’s start with DMK’s mouthpiece outlets, Sun News and Dinakaran, who were primarily responsible for both creating and significantly distorting the issue, titled their news reports as “poisonous liquor.”

 

Other news media outlets such as Thanthi TV, News 7, and Polimer TV also followed the trend of using terms like “poisonous liquor deaths.”

 

News 7 went a step further, describing the incident as “consumption of alcohol mixed with ‘methanol’ in Kallakurichi district.” 

On the other hand, when leaders issued statements condemning the hooch tragedy using the term “illicit liquor,” it was deliberately misrepresented by Dravidian media as “poisonous liquor.” For instance, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam chief and actor Vijay’s condemnation was inaccurately portrayed in Dravidianist media as referring to “poisonous liquors.”

TVK chief Vijay wrote, “The news of the death of more than 25 people after consuming illicit liquor in Karunapuram area of ​​Kallakurichi district is shocking and heartbreaking. I offer my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and pray to God for the speedy recovery of those undergoing treatment. The fact that such an incident has occurred again shows the indifference of the government administration when it has not yet fully recovered from the tragedy of losing many lives due to the same incident last year. I strongly request that the Tamil Nadu government should take strict precautionary measures to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.”

But Thanthi TV news card read, “Indifference of Government Administration Caused Death of Many Due to Drinking Poisonous Alcohol – Accuses Actor and Tamil Nadu Vetri Kazhagam President Vijay – The news of death of more than 25 people after drinking poisonous liquor in Kallakurichi is shocking and heartbreaking” “We have not fully recovered from the tragedy of last year’s loss of many lives due to the same incident.” “The fact that such an incident has happened again shows the indifference of the government administration.” “At least the Tamil Nadu government should take strict precautions to prevent such incidents from now on.”

It was startling to see the uniformity in media reports across Tamil Nadu overnight. For instance, on 19 June 2024, a news outlet declared the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy as “illicit liquor deaths,” but by 20 June 2024, the same media outlet had altered its reporting to “poisonous liquor deaths.”

 

Even more egregious was how Dravidian media outlets shamelessly portrayed the hooch tragedy as if it were a natural disaster, subtly downplaying the gravity of the situation.

 

 

 Most of the victims of the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy were daily-wage workers who couldn’t afford Indian liquor available at TASMAC outlets. Instead, they turned to cheaper, illicit liquor, which was sold locally. Three individuals have been arrested in connection with this tragic incident. Local women have long complained about rampant illicit liquor sales in the area, criticizing the police for their failure to take action against the sellers.

On news channels, grieving women could be seen shaking with sorrow as they either rushed to see the bodies of their loved ones or held onto their kin. Among the over 100 people hospitalized, at least 14 were reported to be in critical condition. However, these Dravidian media outlets introduced a new term, “poison liquor,” implying that the victims had knowingly consumed methanol-laced alcohol. This misrepresentation has clouded the reality that this was the second incident in the same district where people have died due to spurious liquor sales.

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.