Illegal liquor caused deadly Kurnool bus fire, says YSRCP

YSRCP has blamed fake liquor from an illegal alcohol shop for the Kurnool bus fire that killed 20 people. The opposition alleges government negligence, demands Rs 1 crore compensation per family, and calls for criminal action against the Excise Minister

Amaravati: The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP on Sunday alleged that the Kurnool bus fire, which killed 20 people, was a “government-made massacre” caused by “spurious liquor sold at an illegal alcohol shop” in Kurnool district.

In the wee hours of October 24, the sleeper bus ran over a two-wheeler, which had already met with an accident, at Chinna Tekuru village in Kurnool district. There were 44 passengers on the bus, and several managed to escape.

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The two-wheeler caught underneath the bus was dragged, leading to the bursting of its fuel tank and subsequent fire. The opposition party claimed that the bikers Siva Shankar and Erri Swamy, involved in the accident, had consumed fake liquor at Lakshmipuram before the collision, leading to the chain of events that caused the bus fire.

“This Kurnool bus fire that claimed 20 lives is nothing but a government-made massacre driven by the sale of fake liquor in the district,” said the YSRCP in a press release. It demanded that the NDA coalition government must pay Rs 1 crore compensation to each bereaved family and take criminal action against Excise Minister Kollu Ravindra.

The YSRCP maintained that the police probe had already traced the source of the biker’s intoxication to the illegal belt shop and asserted that the deaths were a ‘consequence of government negligence’.

Citing earlier alcohol seizures, the opposition party alleged that fake liquor units have been busted in Mulakalacheruvu, Ibrahimpatnam, Repalle, Anakapalli, Nellore, and Eluru regions, and alleged that no sealing or arrests followed.

The party further alleged that one in every four liquor bottles sold in the state is fake and claimed that the racket was worth more than Rs 5,000 crore. The opposition party further claimed that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu was responsible for the mishap.

YSRCP alleged that the government had turned Andhra Pradesh into an “ATM — Any Time Liquor” state, where belt shops (illegal alcohol shops) operate unchecked even along national highways, contributing to accidents caused by intoxicated drivers. Meanwhile, there was no immediate reaction from the ruling TDP.