CHENNAI: The body of a man who passed away earlier this week in Madavachcheri village of Kallakurichi district was exhumed and examined today, to confirm if the death was due to hooch consumption, as claimed by his relatives.

According to media reports, the relatives of two deceased men - Jayamurugan and Ilayaraja - had buried their bodies after they died this week, to avoid autopsy. While Ilayaraja's body was cremated, Jayamurugan's body was buried.

As the news of the hooch tragedy began to emerge, the relatives of Jayamurugan filed a petition with the District Collector, seeking solatium for his death, claiming he too had died like the others in Karunapuram area of the district after consuming 'paper arrack' mixed with methanol.

Following this, an order was passed to exhume Jayamurugan's buried body and conduct a post-mortem exam. The processes were completed today.

As of Sunday, at least 57 people from Kallakurichi's Karunapuram area have died due to consumption of spurious liquor on Wednesday. Around 190 people remain admitted at Kallakurichi, JIPMER, Salem and Mundiambakkam government hospitals while 40 bodies have been handed over to their families after post-mortem.