Unable To Buy Liquor For Three Days Due To Coronavirus Lockdown, Kerala Man Commits Suicide

In a rather bizarre, yet tragic incident, a man who was showing extreme withdrawal symptoms as he was he couldn't get his daily dose of liquor due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown has committed suicide.

The man, identified as K Sanoj, a 38-year-old native of Thavanur in Kerala's Thrissur district was found dead, hanging from a ceiling fan in his house on Friday morning.

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According to the family, Sanoj who used to work as a painter was becoming frustrated and violent over the past two days as he could not get his daily fix. According to the Kerala Police, the cause of his death was ¡°stress due to unavailability of liquor¡±.

Kerala, like the rest of India, is under a strict lockdown since Monday night for 21 days to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the country. Only those exempted from the lockdown are essential services.

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Unlike in most of India, Kerala and Punjab had listed alcohol as an essential service. Kerala which currently has the highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country was one of the first states to impose restrictions on movements of people and gatherings.

Even while almost everything including restaurants was shut in Kerala, Bevco (Kerala State Beverages Corporation) outlets that sell liquor in Kerala were allowed to function.

Recently there were some viral photos from the state which showed customers standing in long queues while maintaining social distance to buy liquor.

However, under mounting criticism, the Kerala Government had announced the closure of Bevco outlets and the proposal to sell liquor online is yet to be put into practice. Currently, the 265 liquor outlets under Bevco and 36 outlets under Consumerfed are closed.

Following the death of Sanoj, there is a growing fear in the state that in the coming days there will be more such cases as people start showing withdrawal symptoms. Keeping this in mind the Kerala Excise Department has launched dedicated lines for those showing withdrawal symptoms to seek psychological help. They are also planning to provide treatment to addicts, who exhibit withdrawal symptoms in the wake of the lockdown.

BCCL

Kerala has the dubious distinction of having the highest per capita liquor consumption in India, at about 8 liters. The state also makes headlines for setting new records for liquor sales during festivals like Onam, Christman and New Year. For the Christmas New Year season, alone Keralites has gulped liquor worth nearly Rs 523 crore.