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Journalism of Courage
Even as the administration in Jharkhand’s Simdega district is denying allegations that an 11-year-old girl died of starvation, after going without food for over a week, there were reports of another starvation death in Dhanbad district early Saturday morning. The district administration denied that the 45-year-old man was a victim of starvation.
While reports in local media quoted victim Baidyanath Kumar’s wife Parvati saying that the family’s failure to get a ration card created a crisis of foodgrain at home, leading to her husband’s death, officials said the family did not have a ration card because they had applied for it only about a month ago. Citing inquiry report, officials also said that Baidyanath, who pulled a rickshaw, was suffering from respiratory disease.
The family is from Mangarha village in Dhanbad’s Jharia block.Reports in sections of local media quoted Parvati saying that her husband was bedridden for the last month or so, and that she and her son did odd jobs.
Stating that Baidyanath’s wife and his son are earning members, and as such there was no evidence of starvation in the family, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Dhanbad) Ananya Mittal said a probe team has been sent there and initial facts do not indicate death due to starvation. “His (victim’s) son alleged that he had been trying to get a ration card for long but facts that have emerged reveal that he had applied for a card in his mother’s name on September 22,” Mittal said. “After application, one is supposed to submit supporting documents, which was done on October 18 — three days ago.” Under rules, Mittal said, a ration card is to be issued within 60 days of the form’s submission.
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