The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Saturday, 30 May squarely blamed a 'corrupt system' for the Pune hooch tragedy that claimed 16 lives after victims consumed spurious liquor, alleging that the disaster exposes a fundamental breakdown in Maharashtra's administrative and law enforcement machinery.

Saamana Editorial: Key Allegations

In a sharply worded editorial published in the party's mouthpiece Saamana, the Thackeray camp argued that the tragedy cannot be dismissed as an accident. The editorial contended that illicit liquor trade of this scale is impossible without the active collusion of the police and the State Excise Department. It directly targeted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, accusing him of allowing governance to deteriorate while remaining preoccupied with electoral calculations.

'He remains entirely consumed by election logistics and aligning his own political equations. Currently, the Home Department is being used to harass political opponents and blackmail them by implicating them in fabricated cases. Consequently, the police machinery has completely lost its ground-level connection with the public,' the editorial stated.

Fadnavis Must Take Responsibility, Says Party

'While the Chief Minister claims strict action against criminals, the hooch tragedy has devastated 16 innocent families. As Home Minister, Devendra Fadnavis must take responsibility,' the editorial said, adding that the state government is facing mounting pressure on whether to provide financial compensation to victims' kin.

The Saamana editorial described Pune and the surrounding Maval region as having transformed into major hubs for illicit country liquor. It alleged that bootlegging dens — locally called haatbhatti — operate openly across Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, catering largely to daily-wage workers who are driven to cheap liquor reportedly adulterated with methanol to increase profit margins.

Political Patronage and Selective Enforcement Alleged

The editorial alleged that such open sale of spurious liquor and other illegal activities continue under political patronage and with the active involvement of enforcement agencies. It also flagged a broader surge in violent crimes in Pune, including robberies, sexual assaults, and gang violence in broad daylight.

Referring to recent restrictions imposed by the Pune Police Commissioner mandating early closures of establishments, the party said the hooch incident itself occurred in broad daylight, calling such measures into question. 'This tragic incident did not occur under the cover of darkness; the lethal poison was sold and consumed in broad daylight. This has prompted citizens to ask sarcastically — Will the police now order Pune to shut down during the day as well?' the editorial asked.

Charge of Ideological Hypocrisy

The Thackeray-led party went further, alleging ideological hypocrisy among certain groups. It pointed out that local right-wing outfits that routinely agitate over communal issues such as 'Love Jihad' and religious conversions had maintained silence over the tragedy — even though both the sellers and victims of the toxic liquor reportedly belonged to the same community.

The editorial also drew a pointed contrast: the state administration, it alleged, has been swift to deploy bulldozers against minority-community properties, yet has spared the illicit liquor dens — which the party claimed operate under the direct protection of the ruling political class. As Maharashtra's political temperature rises, the Pune hooch deaths are set to remain a focal point of opposition pressure on the Fadnavis government.