Man dies in Tamil Nadu after attempts to get alcohol amid lockdown

Villupuram, Tamil Nadu: After trying desperately to get a bottle of liqour, a 65-year old man fainted and was later pronounced dead at a government hospital, police said here on Wednesday.

The elderly man, when he heard that liquor stocks were being shifted from four neighbourhood outlets to a warehouse, lined up in front of the shops at Janakipuram here alongwith scores of other consumers.

They desperately pleaded with officials to sell them some alcoholic beverage.

Despite police presence and in spite of authorities telling consumers that stocks cannot be sold in view oflockdown, they continued to mill around the premises on Tuesday with a hope that officials would relent.

Following incidents of State-run Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) liquor stores getting burgled in regions including Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli recently, authorities have been transferring inventories from outlets considered vulnerable to warehouses.

As part of the lockdown from 6 pm on March 24 in the state, all liquor outlets are shut.

The sexagenarian, after trying his luck in three other shops, came to the fourth one and tried his best to get a bottle of liquor but could not and he fainted.

"We rushed him to a government hospital in an ambulance, but hospital authorities pronounced him brought dead yesterday," a senior district police official told reporters.

The official said the elderly person was used to consuming alcohol and could not get his dose in view of curbs and was dejected.

The crowd of men, who teemed around the liquor shops were dispersed and they were not sold beverages, he added.

Following the lockdown, at least four men have died recently in Tamil Nadu after they consumed shaving lotion and paint varnish, falsely believing that these would give them a high and were not harmful.

A 43-year old man hailing from Karur district allegedly committed suicide following frustration due to days of alcohol deprivation.