A fresh case of suspected hunger death has come to light in Pithora block of Mahasamund district in Chhattisgarh a month after a Dalit farmer committed suicide in Bilaspur.Sixty-year-old Makhiyar Ghasia died in village Lakhagarh on November 21 as he didn’t have anything to eat, alleged his sister Radha Bai. District Collector Maninder Kaur Diwedi claimed that a report submitted by the sub-divisional magistrate said ‘‘Ghasia was suffering from acute respiratory disorder and he died a natural death. The family had sufficient food stock at home.’’However, Leader of Opposition Nand Kumar Sai, on return from the village, today contested the administration’s claim. ‘‘He may be suffering from respiratory disease but cause of his death was hunger,’’ he alleged. Fearing more starvation deaths in coming days, Sai alleged that the administration was trying to hush up the matter.Just a week before his death, the gram panchayat had adopted a resolution authorising the panchayat secretary to make arrangements of food for Ghasia. For a few days, Ghasia reportedly got food from a nearby school till school teachers refused to oblige him.Meanwhile, the state government today ordered all principal secretary and secretaries to take command of each district for drought relief operations. Asked about hunger deaths, Principal Secretary, Food and Supplies, Pankaj Diwedi said: ‘‘There is no report of hunger death from any district.’’
