The situation remained tense at Sasane Nagar in Hadapsar area of Pune city on Friday after six residents of the area died in the hooch tragedy.At least six Sasane Nagar residents — Arun Dadar, 60, Rahul Sharad Kshirsagar, 45, Vijay Sharma, 46, Yashwant Raghunath Pawar, 64, all four from of Pandhare Mala, Datta Madhavrao Suryawanshi, 55, of Kale Colony and Ashok Ramesh Chavan,52, of lane number 15, Dagdi Chawl — are suspected to have died by consuming toxic countrymade liquor between May 26 and May 28.Their families were upset, angry and helpless as the deceased had died consuming hooch sold locally at Pandhare Mala, a slum-like settlement, and an illegal liquor centre allegedly operating near Mantri Market in Hadapsar.A woman from Pandhare Mala, who did not wish to be named, said, “Illegal liquor was being sold here for a long time. Police have failed to curb the menace. Liquor addiction has ruined many families in the region and has caused several deaths. People know the illicit liquor sellers, but never complain about them openly due to fear of being attacked by them.”On Friday, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar and his party activists vandalised an alleged tin shed illegal hand-brewed liquor centre, located in the middle of human settlement in Pandhare Mala. It had an electricity connection and a ceiling fan with lights too. Plastic packets named “Phuge (baloonos)” in which the liquor was sold were lying on the floor.Police security was beefed up in the area after Pawar’s protest. Speaking to the media, Pawar alleged that illegal liquor was being sold openly in the area despite repeated complaints from residents.“When system fails, we citizens have to take the situation in our hands. People have told us whenever police visited this area, they collected money (from liquor sellers) but failed to take any action…. If illicit liquor is being sold openly, then the police administration cannot escape responsibility. The government must answer how such operations continued for years,” he said.Story continues below this adAlleging a larger nexus behind the tragedy, Pawar said the investigation must identify the mastermind behind the illegal liquor trade. “Police should not just focus on the local sellers. The big fish should be arrested,” he said.Pawar also demanded that families of the deceased should be adequately compensated.”Pramod Bhangire, Pune city chief of the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, said, “This is not an isolated incident. Illegal liquor dens have been operating openly in areas such as Satavnagar, Gadital and Sasane Nagar for nearly two decades, but police have repeatedly ignored complaints.”“Even if people linked to any political party are involved, strict action should be taken against them. Such tragedies should never happen again in Pune,” he added. Shiv Sena activists staged a protest outside Hadapsar Police Station.Arun Waman Dadar, 60Story continues below this adArun’s wife Indubai said he was a daily wage labourer and had been addicted to alcohol for nearly two decades. “We do not know where he consumed the liquor or with whom he was drinking,” she said.Arun had been alone at home for nearly 15 days as family members had gone to their native village for medical treatment and other work. Indubai said he called her on Wednesday night over the phone saying he was vomiting continuously and having severe stomach pain. “He said he was feeling dizzy and after that the phone got disconnected. We could never speak to him again,” said Indubai.Arun’s daughter Lalita Jagtap and a relative admitted him to a hospital. “He was alive when we admitted him, but later we came to know through hospital papers that he had died hours earlier. The government should take strict action and stop the illegal sale of liquor so that no other family has to suffer like this,” Jagtap said.Rahul Sharad Kshirsagar, 45Kshirsagar, a construction labourer, is survived by his wife and two children. Family members said he consumed liquor on Wednesday night. He returned home late at night. He was admitted to the hospital as he started feeling unwell. But he was pronounced dead by the doctors.Story continues below this adKshirsagar’s cousin Jyoti Khandagale said his funeral was performed at Vishrantwadi on Thursday night. “He used to do small construction and labour jobs to support the family. We do not know where he consumed the liquor on that night…,” Jyoti said.Vijay Sharma, 42A native of Bihar, Vijay Sharma was a daily wage worker, residing with his wife and four children in Hadapsar. His wife Bijlidevi said that he was used to consuming alcohol every day. Accordingly, around 11 pm on Wednesday, he consumed liquor and later complained that he could not see properly and had severe body pain. “We rushed him to a local hospital while his pulse was still working. But he died on the way while being shifted to Sassoon hospital,” she said.Family believed that he purchased liquor from a local hand-brewed liquor den. “The government should shut such illegal liquor units so no other family suffers like ours,” says his wife.Datta Madhavrao Suryavanshi, 55Datta Suryawanshi worked as a watchman at a private establishment. Having lost his wife a few years before, he was residing with his son and two daughters at Kale colony.Story continues below this adHis son Darshan, who works at a saloon said he consumed “Phuga (liquor in a plastic pouch)” on Wednesday night and went to sleep after dinner. “Early the next morning, he started vomiting and complained of uneasiness. We rushed him to Sane Guruji Hospital around 7.30 am after his condition worsened. Doctors there told us he needed ICU care, after which we shifted him to Sassoon Hospital. But he died. He did not name anyone or explain where he had consumed liquor before his death,” Darshan said.Ashok Ramesh Chavan, 52Ashok Chavan, a resident of Dagdi Chawl in Sasane Nagar, worked as a security guard at Ganga Residency in Hadapsar after spending over three decades as a peon with Mahesh Bank, family members said.According to his son, Yash Chavan, a tattoo artist, Ashok consumed alcohol on the night of May 27 and developed symptoms such as vomiting, loose motions and sweating the following morning.“He started feeling unwell the next morning. We took him to Chavan Hospital around 8.30 am, where doctors said his condition was critical and referred him to Sassoon Hospital, where he was declared dead on Thursday afternoon,” Yash said.Yashwant Pawar, 64Story continues below this adYashwant Pawar, who worked as a daily wage labourer, had been staying with his sister, niece and nephew Chetan Jadhav at Pandhare Mala. He is suspected to have died by consumption of toxic liquor on May 26.“On the morning of the incident, he returned home around 8 am in an intoxicated state and complained of severe stomach pain, dizziness and excessive sweating,” said Chetan Jadhav, the victim’s nephew. “Initially, we thought he was feeling uneasy because of the heat outside and alcohol consumption, so we asked him to rest. However, his condition rapidly deteriorated. He started shivering and began foaming at the mouth. We immediately called an ambulance. The medical team arrived, examined him and declared him dead on the spot,” Jadhav said. Police said they are yet to confirm the cause behind Pawar’s death.