KHOPOLI, Nov 16: Everything was normal and routine in the drab lives of the tribals of Hal and Mahad hamlets in Raigad district till Saturday. The daily grind of hard physical labour, the annual Satgaon Yatra festivities at Khopoli and even the spirit of the celebrations - the much favoured khopadi in the usual polythene bags. However, death decided to spill out from these bags onto the uncomplicated matrix of their lives reducing them to mere numbers. And till Sunday evening, 24 of them had perished to what many would say their own folly.The 15-day yatra in honour of the local saint Gagangiri Maharaj which began on the 11th of this month attracts a large number of adivasis from the vicinity who congregate to Khopoli for the festivities. And the main ingredient for conviviality at the celebrations for past several years has been khopadi which is supplied by Sheikh Mohammed Abdul Latif Bedekar, the main accused in the case.As was their routine, the victims thronged Bedekar's modest bungalow to buy khopadi sold in polythene bags for Rs 5 each. Though they had relied on Bedekar for their hooch supplies for years, things went wrong this time around as tragedy struck.Since then a pall of gloom has enveloped the hamlets located off the Mumbai-Pune highway. Villagers in Hal Katkarwadi remain afraid as many of them have begun to show delayed symptoms of poisoning. Local health workers expect the toll to rise but are helpless due to villagers' reluctance to seek treatment. Raman Kalidas Purovia, a sweeper at Suman Motels who refused to undergo a check-up and denied having drunk Bedekar's brew, fell dead outside a neighbour's house this morning. Another youth, Krishna Shankar Pawar, was rushed to hospital today morning only after he began vomiting and gasped for breath.Villagers of Mahad and Hal Katkarwadi are still dazed by the tragedy and many of them seem drained of all emotions. ``My father and brother were absolutely fine till late night. However, they complained of uneasiness and were dead even before they could be taken to the hospital,'' wailed Naushya Katkari, who lost his father and brother.Incidentally, over 100 persons had perished after the drinking khopadi in the same area in 1972. Prabhakar Pasalkar, a Project Officer with the State Government's Integrated Tribal Development Project said the sale of illicit liquor continues unchecked in the area. ``The police and the excise departments are completely ineffective. Instead of making hollow promises, the government should do something to rehabilitate theadivasis, he suggested.``The tragedy has highlighted a major socio-economic problem, and the exploitation of the poverty-stricken adivasis,'' said Sister Cassia and Sister Emma who represent the Janahit Vikas Trust, working for the upliftment of adivasis in the area since 1990. ``We have known them for about seven years now and have come to respect them for their ability to do a great amount of physical labour despite their frail half-starved bodies. We are also trying to make them kick the habit of drinking with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous,'' they said.As a shocked Kisan Sakharam Waghmare, who lost his parents and a brother in the tragedy said ``We are farmers who toil hard throughout the day and drink khopadi almost every evening, but such a thing has never happened.''
