‘My children lost their father, I lost faith in government’

Prakash Shah, of Odhav GIDC, died after consuming lattha (hooch), leaving wife, Dharmistha, and two children to fend for themselves. On Wednesday, Dharmistha was waiting for her husband’s body outside the postmortem (PM) room at CS hospital.

There was anger in her voice, when she said, “Who is responsible for my husband’s death? Who will take care of my kids? Will the government or police help us?”

Even in her grief, she asked a question which many in the state would like to ask the government, “If the government can’t destroy these desi liquor dens, why don’t they altogether abolish anti-liquor law?”

Dharmistha has a long battle to wage. She is self employed and has been earning the bread for her family. “The future of my two kids appears bleak. I have not only lost my husband, but my kid’s future too,” she said, virtually in tears.

People swarmed the area around the post-mortem room on Civil hospital campus, waiting to collect their relative’s body. Most of them were convinced that police’s indifference was the reason they lost their kin.

“The police receive hafta (bribe) from the people running the liquor business and that is why they have ignored our repeated pleas in the past,” said Lalbhai Purohit, a man who lost his brother.This could have been prevented if the police had done their job properly, Purohit lamented.

The situation was hardly different in other municipal hospitals. Shardaben and LG hospitals were overflowing with latthakand victims. There were 38 patients brought to Shardaben and around 10 in LG in two days.

Nineteen deaths have been reported at Shardaben alone. Medical superintendent of the hospital said, “We are forwarding the data to the state and respective authorities, to prevent irregularities in the death toll.”

The RMO of LG hospital, Dr Laxman Daviyad, told DNA that five new cases were brought to the hospital on Wednesday, taking the total to 12 in two days.