INDIA: Government fails to prevent or acknowledge starvation deaths

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) December 19, 2011 -- Hunger Alert Update: AHRC-HAU-003-2011

19 December 2011

[RE: AHRC-HAC-101-2011: India: Government’s failure to ensure food and health security led to death of widow]

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the Puri administration’s visit to children who lost their parents due to hunger and sickness in late September and early November respectively. Mr. Babaji Sethi, the children’s father, died of starvation and energy deficiency while struggling with hard labor, and their mother died of cancer while facing hunger without proper medical treatment after Mr. Babaji’s death (for details please see AHRC-HAC-010-2011). The district administration visited the family after receiving the AHRC’s appeal letter dated October 26, 2011 and replied to the letter on November 22, 2011. While the administration was keen to refer to a written statement made by late Mr. Babaji’s brother stating the children were given 30 kilograms of rice and 2,000 rupees for emergency relief after their parents’ death, it did not investigate why two poor Adivasis (indigenous people) died of insufficient nutrition and medical treatment.

UPDATED INFORMATION:

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is informed that the Puri district administration visited the children who lost their parents and provided them with 30 kilograms of rice and 2,000 rupees (USD 38) for emergency relief. The letter by the Additional District Magistrate says, “I conclude that Mrs. Sanjukta Sethi died on 05/11/2011 due to CANCER after prolonged treatment.”

According to this short letter, the administration neither pays attention to the root causes of two persons’ deaths, nor examines the non-implementation of available government schemes to ensure their right to life and freedom from hunger. Rather, the administration attempts to escape its duty and responsibility to those confronting hunger by emphasizing that one of the deceased died of cancer. The letter is available here.

Meanwhile, the administration got a letter from the deceased’s elder brother, which is allegedly prepared by the administration officer. This letter says:

“We Mr. Purnachandra Sethi son of Mr. Rath Sethi (village: Bagalai, Post- Saarada, Police Station: Konarka, District: Puri, State:Odisha), in presence of the Additional Collector write that my brother late Mr. Babaji Sethi was a leprosy patient and died on 27th September 2011 and his wife late Mrs. Sanjukta Sethi died of cancer on 5th November 2011. His family has been continuously getting 35 kg of Rice with an Antodaya card. They have four minor children and all stay with me. I am currently taking care of all children. We also got additional 30 kilograms of rice from the Block development Officer through Local Sarpanch (village head) and along with it we have received 2,000 rupees as emergency financial assistance from government.”

The elder brother testified that this letter was prepared by an administration officer and he would not be able to take responsibility for the children as he was also extremely poor and has his own children to look after. He clarified that the deceased Mr. Babaji was a leprosy patient earlier, but was completely cured and his death was not attributed to leprosy.

The administration’s letter reflects its limited understanding of its duty as only to clarify the direct reason of death, without examining the social and economic circumstances that should ensure the right to food and freedom from hunger in accordance with its mandate as envisaged in the Constitution and the Supreme Court Orders. The administration further believes that its duty can be fulfilled by providing 30 kilograms of rice and 2,000 rupees to the children, while imposing an additional burden upon the deceased’s brother, who is equally poor and also facing a lack of food and resources.

The AHRC suggested in its previous hunger alert case that the administration should check the implementation of all available welfare schemes and further strengthen mechanisms to prevent future starvation deaths. It is obvious that the administration’s failure to implement the schemes in time were the cause of the deceased persons’ lack of food and healthcare, leading to their deaths. The administration should thus prove that the deceased unfortunately died even after they enjoyed all the available mechanisms to be free from hunger and death.

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SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please join us in expressing your concern at the negligence of the administration to prevent the starvation deaths of one tribal family in Odisha. Please note that the administration denies that the family has been facing hunger and is deprived of access to public resources for food and health care, which is the key mandate of the administration in accordance with laws and policies.

The AHRC has also written a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food calling for its intervention.

To support this appeal please click here: http://www.humanrights.asia/news/hunger-alerts/AHRC-HAU-003-2011

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