INDIA: Local government ignores starving mother and her three hungry daughters in Uttar-Pradesh

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received new information from the Social Development Foundation (SDF) in Delhi on a case involving the hunger and malnutrition plaguing one family in Sonebhadra, Uttar-Pradesh. Despite repeated pleas for food assistance from local authorities, the mother and young children continue to live with extreme hunger.

The AHRC urges you to write to the District Magistrate of Uttar-Pradesh and related authorities requesting that immediate food assistance be provided to the victims. We further ask that the inaction by local administration be investigated and condemned.
 
Urgent Appeals Desk – Hunger Alert
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Location: Ghorawal Tehsil village, Sonebhadra District, Uttar-Pradesh
Persons affected: Rajkumari, age 30, and her daughters Usha (5), Rita (4) and Sangeeta (7 months)

Rajkumari is a 30 year-old mother of three daughters, Usha, Rita and Sangeeta. She is a dalit (scheduled caste/’untouchable’) woman with no land and lives with a physical disability. Her husband, Lal Chand recently developed a psychiatric disorder and abandoned his home. Currently, no one knows where he is and his family has lost their only source of income.

After Lal Chand’s disappearance, Rajkumari could not provide for her family’s needs. Her parents in law were not willing to take in the family so Rajkumari moved to her parent’s home in Papari No. 2 village, Robertsganj Block. Her parents, like many other dalits in the area, are landless agricultural workers. Her father is a daily wage labourer and due to a severe drought in the region this year, work has been sporadic. As a result, even in his old age, Rajkumari’s father attempts to work everyday but is struggling to provide for his family.

Currently, the family is facing hunger and malnutrition, and has made several pleas to local authorities concerning their hunger situation. Her mother, Tetari, approached the district magistrate of Sonebhadra for assistance but nothing has been received. The head of the village, Mr. Kashi, also has not provided any assistance for the family despite being aware of their current situation.

On April 26, 2005 Rajkumari also attempted to meet with revenue officials and other authorities at the district headquarters in Robertsganj but failed to meet anyone. Authorities at both the District Magistrate and Sub-District Magistrate’s offices refused to understand her plight. Such was her desperation that Rajkumari even tried to leave her children behind thinking that it would be better for them, but her mother would not allow it.

Recently, Chaupal, a local organization, has been intervening in the case. On April 26, 2005, the organization wrote a letter to the district magistrate asking him to address the current hunger situation the family is facing. However, despite repeated attempts at communication, nothing has been done at the administrative level.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Starvation is not a new concern in the Sonebhadra district and it is puzzling that in this case, the local authorities have not become involved.

In September 2004, several cases were reported to the District Magistrate and Chief Minister of Uttar-Pradesh regarding starvation in the district. Some 40 villagers had walked over 40 kilometers from their villages during the monsoon season in order to voice their hunger concerns at the district headquarters in Robertsganj. The victims also showed what they were eating, which mostly consisted of leaves and roots from the forest.

The villagers, mostly landless adivasis (indigenous people), have been involved in a land dispute with the forest department for some time. Their landless state severely hinders the villagers’ ability to provide food for themselves.

Please see HA-01-2004 for detailed information on the starvation cases that have been occurring in the district for the past few years.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write to the District Magistrate of Uttar-Pradesh and the other related officials below requesting that the district administration take immediate action in this starvation matter before more lives are lost.

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