Orissa tribals write to CJI, say made to lie on starvation

The Juang tribals in Keonjhar have written to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice G.B. Pattanaik alleging that the district administration ...

The Juang tribals in Keonjhar have written to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice G.B. Pattanaik alleging that the district administration forced them into admitting that there were no hunger-related deaths but only snake-bites in the village.

Two months ago, some children and a woman died in Kuladera village under Ghatagaon block. The administration claimed that snake bite had caused the casualties.

Even Union Food Minister Sharad Yadav toed the same line and dismissed the deaths

as cases of mishap and not starvation.

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Now the villagers have written to the CJI and Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court appealing for a better life. They have alleged that the three children, two from Sindhua Juang and one from Mangulu Juang actually died of starvation but they were forced by some local political leaders and block officials to attribute the deaths to snake bite before the media. ‘‘We were threatened of being thrown out of the village,’’ the letter said.

The letter also said that they have been exploited and swindled of developmental works. The villagers have alleged nexus among officials, engineers and contractors who cheated villagers of 300 quintals of rice.

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