Hyderabad, Jul 10 (PTI) The death toll in the "adulterated" toddy tragedy has gone up to four, and 48 others were undergoing treatment in the state-run Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) and Gandhi Hospital here, officials said on Thursday.
Five persons were arrested in connection with the incident, they said.
Telangana Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha visited NIMS Hospital and enquired about the health condition of the affected people from the doctors. He instructed the health officials to provide better medical services to all the affected people.
The minister told reporters that their conditions are stable, and dialysis is being performed for four of them. The patients are likely to be discharged in four to five days.
The government will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, Rajanarasimha said, adding stern action will be taken against those responsible. Measures will be taken to prevent such incidents from recurring, he said.
According to a police official of Cyberabad, they have registered four cases of suspicious death. The affected people had fallen ill after allegedly consuming toddy, he said.
"We cannot conclusively say unless we get the postmortem report. It is still awaited. Viscera has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). Once the report comes, we can say about the cause of death and accordingly the sections will be altered," the official further told PTI.
A Prohibition and Excise official on Thursday said samples were collected from the toddy shops where the people consumed them and were sent to a lab for chemical analysis.
It was established that the toddy shop owners allegedly sold toddy laced with Alprazolam, a psychotropic substance, the official said, adding the license of these toddy shops were suspended.
Meanwhile, the Telangana Human Rights Commission (TGHRC) on Thursday directed the Principal Secretary, Revenue (Prohibition & Excise) Department, to file a comprehensive report on the incident by August 20.
The Commission issued the directive acting on an online complaint filed regarding the incident after registering a case, an official release said.
The affected people consumed toddy in different toddy shops on July 6 and July 7 in Kukatpally, Balanagar, and other areas of the city, and they were initially admitted to different hospitals on July 8 after complaining of ill health--acute gastroenteritis, officials said.