INDIA: A three-year-old girl may die from acute starvation in Varanasi 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), a local human rights organisation working in Uttar Pradesh state, regarding the case of Gudia who may die from acute malnourishment in Varanasi. The case depicts once more the complete failure of the government programmes in addressing dire needs of the lower caste communities in India.

CASE DETAILS:

Gudia is three and half-year old and is the daughter of Mr. Sanjay Kumar Gaur. Kumar’s family resides at Soyepur Madwa in Harahua block of Varanasi district. Gudia was born under weighed and was blind at birth. Gudia is the youngest and the third child in the family. The family belongs to the Gaur community in Uttar Pradesh. The Gaur being a scheduled caste community, they are considered untouchable by the dominant upper caste Hindus in India.

Gudia was not given any immunisation, which otherwise is provided by the government for the newly born children in India. The Auxiliary Nursing Mother (ANM) responsible for Soyepur Madwa, Ms. Urmila demands money from every parent for preparing an immunisation card that is to be used as a record for immunisation. Since Gudia’s parents did not have the money to spare to bribe the ANM to get the required service for Gudia. Gudia is also not enrolled at the local Anganwadi Centre (child care centre) due to the corrupt practices of Urmila.

On April 23, a staff of the PVCHR, Ms. Sushila Devi, came to know Gudia’s situation. Devi, through the PVCHR got Gudia admitted at the Pandit Deen Daya Upadhaya Hospital in Varanasi for treatment. At the hospital Dr. S. P. Singh examined Gudia and recorded her weight, which was only three-and-half kilogrammes. This is Grade IV malnutrition according to the medical standards. This situation is extremely life threatening. As of now Gudia is receiving treatment at the hospital.

Gudia’s father Kumar was earlier working in a power loom. Due to the downfall of the weaving industry and due to the continuous interruption in power supply in the state and in Varanasi in particular, Kumar gets only 10-12 days of work every month. From this Kumar can earn only about Rupees 350 (USD 8) a month. With this money Kumar cannot find food to his entire family. Gudia’s mother is working as a maid servant in a house in the village, with which she earns a pittance.

Kumar’s family is classified as one belonging to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) family. Due to this the family also is issued a BPL card bearing number 17180. This card will help the family to obtain rationed food grains at subsidised price. However, whatever ration is obtained is shared with Kumar’s brother’s family who also lives in similar circumstances. Kumar’s brother’s family does not have a BPL card.

Gudia’s elder siblings were earlier attending school, but had to discontinue studies to earn some money to keep the family alive and also to care for Gudia.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The AHRC in the past has reported cases of starvation and malnutrition from India, of which the cases reported from Uttar Pradesh documented by the PVCHR depicts a connection between caste based discrimination, corruption and the neglect practiced by the state government authorities in the state making a fatal dent upon the Dalit community in that state.

The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a sister organisation of the AHRC has also made interventions at the UN regarding this issue. For further reading please see: AL-011-2007 and A Supplementary Document concerning Caste Based Discrimination in India submitted by the ALRC to the UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination – March 2007. (Please see pages 11 – 12)

The AHRC has been calling upon the Government of India to address this problem. So far other than for random acts of halfhearted attempts by the state as well as central government, often initiated for political and other personal gains of persons in the government, nothing much has been done by the government in addressing this deep-rooted problem.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please send a letter to the authorities mentioned below expressing your concern about this case and calling for an immediate investigation in order to punish the alleged perpetrators. The AHRC has written a separate letter to the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food calling for an intervention into this case.

For further information concerning this case and to know about the current condition of Gudia please contact Ms. Sruti Nagavanshi / Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi, PVCHR, S A 4/2A, Daulatpur, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India Telephone + 91 9935599333. Email: pvchr@yahoo.com

 

 

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