HUNGER ALERT HUNGER ALERT HUNGER ALERT HUNGER ALERT HUNGER ALERT
ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – URGENT APPEALS PROGRAM
7 March 2005
HA-02-2005: INDIA: Starvation deaths occurring in Murshidabad district, West Bengal
INDIA: Starvation death; government inaction and neglect
Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (Masum) in West Bengal, India, that people in Murshidabad district are dying of starvation while the government authorities have not taken any effective action to stop the deaths. One five-year-old boy is reported to have been eating dirt before he died. According to a local doctor, “The entire area is under threat of insufficient nutritious food.”
Masum reports that no government programmes to address starvation are properly functioning in the area, despite the fact that the local authorities are well aware of what is going on.
The AHRC urges you to write to the concerned authorities, including the Chief Minister of West Bengal, and call on them to take necessary emergency action to stop any further deaths from occurring in Murshidabad district, and longer-term steps to address the food crisis there.
Urgent Appeals Desk — Hunger Alert
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
A boy at Paraspur village, Jalangi, Murshidabad running to get food after 3 days� hunger.
DETAILED INFORMATION:
Location: Dayarampur village and surrounding areas, including Udayanagar, Suryanagar Colony and Paraspur, Murshidabad district, West Bengal, India.
Persons affected:
Numerous, including
1. Azizul Haque
2. Alimuddin Seik, aged about 67, husband of Jahida Beoa
3. Jahida Beoa, aged 60, wife of Alimuddin Seik
4. Sattar Seik, aged 50
Date of last reported death: 25 February 2005 (deaths ongoing)
On a recent visit to the Murshidabad district of West Bengal, colleagues of Masum were shocked to hear reports of numerous recent starvation deaths among villagers there, about which the authorities appear to be doing nothing. Some of the reports that Masum has received are as follows:
1. Neimuddin stated that his brother Azizul Haque died of hunger because of no work to earn a livelihood. Neimuddin said that before his brother died he had not witnessed any cooking at his home for days. His brother finally died of starvation. Up to today Azizul’s wife and son are starving, and may also die from hunger soon.
2. Sukuda Bibi, a relative of Alimuddin Seik and his wife Jahida Beoa, says that both of them died recently after their bodies swelled up from malnutrition. Sukuda Bibi told the Rural Health Centre of Sadikhanrdeyar that there was no food at home. Whatever they had, no matter how unhygienic or lacking in nutrition, they ate up in a desperate and ultimately failed attempt to survive. DrAshish Kumar Ghosh, the Medical Officer attached with the Rural Health Centre, said that, “The cause of death in Jahida’s case was associated with old age problems. However, malnutrition was one of the major causes of her suffering. I visited the victims’ village and found that the entire area is under threat of insufficient nutritious food.”
3. Sattar Seik died of hunger at the Behrampur District Sadar Hospital. He was referred there from the Rural Health Centre of Sadikhanrdeyar. On this case Dr Ashish Kumar Ghosh said, “We don’t have proper and sufficient medical equipment and so we have to refer our patients to the district hospital.” Dr Matiur Rahman, a doctor attached to the Behrampur District Hospital said, “The patients who have been referred to here are not in condition even to utter a word. They have been kept on oxygen but nothing can be said regarding their improvement.”
4. Shyamali Halder said, “Another five-year-old boy also died suffering from the same cause. Five days ago his stomach was swelled up. It was found out that he had been living by eating dirt. For many days there had been no cooking in his house.”
According to Masum, “Every day someone or the other dies of hunger in the village of Dayarampur or among other adjacent villages. They have not even heard of Annapurna Yojana, a central government scheme intended to give them food grains when in need. One handicapped man named Amir Shah complained that their names have not even been included in the Below Poverty Line list, which would allow them to apply for assistance.”
When the Sub-divisional Officer of Murshidabad, Mr Rabindranath Sarkar, was approached he admitted that there is an acute problem and shortage of food grains in different villages of this district. He said that he is trying to make his best possible effort from a limited capacity. He also said that he has informed the District Magistrate about these incidents.
Mr Kanchan Chowdhury, the Block Development Officer of Jalangi, in Murshidabad district, said, “Women of this locality are fleeing to other places to get work. We are looking for options to address this economic crisis. Hopefully it will work out soon.”
Mr Yunush Sarkar, a Member of the Legislative Assembly, West Bengal, said that like other countries, people in Murshidabad too are below the poverty level, but he denied that they are dying of hunger.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Masum has also written the following:
“The hunger in Murshidabad district has affected the villagers so badly that a large number have been displaced to other areas looking for means to survive. Large numbers of students are dropping out of the schools, as it is almost impossible to carry on studies with an empty stomach, and they are being sent by their families to work elsewhere. People say that so many meetings have been held with the local Block Development Officer and other officers attached with the local civil administration, and also the village council, but all have been in vain.
“Apart from this, fertile agricultural land, houses, cattle and everything are being ruined, and the environmental conditions are worsening. These villages are situated along the river Padma, the bank of which has been eroding for the last ten years. As a result, fertile land is being lost. Since 2002 the erosion has rapidly increased. Almost all able-bodied male members of Dayarampur village have left in search of work elsewhere, leaving their elderly, female members and children at home, who are falling prey to starvation. Last year too, two children breathed their last due to starvation.
“The government is making mockery of basic human rights. According to the authorities, India is now self-sufficient in food grains. Our country is also sending so many shiploads of grain to different countries affected by natural calamities like the tsunami, while our own people are dying for want of food. The warehouses of the Food Corporation of India are full, but the people in such circumstances have nothing. The West Bengal government is letting its people starve in violation of its constitutional obligations, and those under international law.”
Gathering Experiences from the Government’s Desks
An Experience: sweet and bitter
Focus – Jalangi, Murshidabad and Bellilious Park Howrah,West Bengal
This is merely a simple effort to look into the government systems and panchayet administration and their commitment towards the upliftment of the standard of rural mass. It is well-known that there was much ado before and hopes after the 73rd Constitutional Amendment in India with a view to strengthen the village panchayet, the bottom administrative unit in India. It was viewed that this sort of step will provide our villagers a glittering life pattern making them within the access of administration. Rajiv Gandhi accredited to have presented that great achievement to the country.
India is still engaging its 85% population in agro- activity and its budget is known as agro-budget. Mahatma Gandhi once said that India’s soul rests in the villages. He emphatically said it is a first and foremost duty of the Centre and all the State governments to take appropriate measures for the well beings of the villagers.
Here more interesting is this fact that most of the people’s representatives are from the village sides and they include it in their election manifesto that their victory will change the rural scenario to a positive aspect. But, after being elected they don’t feel it good to raise the rural matters in the assembly or parliament. They seem to be standing by the government officials who may be perpetrators in many cases and rebuke the rural mass. Thus, it can be said even the leaders are seen to make nexus with the government officials but lack the chain the coordination with the people. Here, it is no exaggeration that however the concept of feudalism (Medieval concept of Europe) vanishes or landlord ship has been eradicated from India but these concepts are still prevailed in Indian scenario where the farmers are cheated, looted, humiliated by the nexus of leaders and bureaucrats thus causing deep dissatisfaction which reflect as MCC, Maoism, People’s War Group, etc.
Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) in the recent past conducted fact-finding enquiries on the issue of “starvation death”. Experiences of MASUM are those that the memory of Amlashol in Midnapore district, an example of the recent past that shook the conscience of the country has not faded into oblivion. Apart from Amlashol, there are thousands of wretched countrymen who have either being rotted with their poverty or dying in starvation, being devoid of any food, nutrition or medical treatment. The sordid saga of the hunger-starvation and death do exist from the adivasis (indigenous people) and marginal peasants in Sandeshkhali or Hasnabad in North 24 Parganas to the areas of Canning and Basanti in South 24 Parganas, tea gardens of North Bengal or drought-affected areas in Bankura and Purulia districts, victims of land erosion in Murshidabad and Malda, dalits of Bellilious Park in Howrah in the State of West Bengal.
The problem of the wretched lies with the eternal one — their poverty, but the causes are manifold. Sometimes it happens to be topographical, natural disasters or changes in their earning status. In some places it is liable for eviction in places without rehabilitation and apathy of the vested interests towards them. But in most cases they are being victimized by the Government and administrative inaction, callousness of the government officials and a general apathy to do rightful duties towards the ill-fated people.
The increasing number of the cases of death due to hunger and starvation in the gangetic basins of West Bengal has been attracting our attention since long. And the continuous and systematic denial, apathy and indifferent attitude of the government towards this natural disasters and its victims have forced us to think twice, whether we are really living in a country aimed at building a state of a socialist-welfare-democratic model, with a good governance. Such cases appear to be epidemic and mainly caused by some geographical disadvantages. The encroachment of river Padma, a subsidiary of the Ganges, the longest river in India, on the embankment resulted in erosion and reduction of land and compelled uncountable number of people of the villages namely Dayarampur, Udayanagar, Suryanagar Colony, Paraspur, and hundreds of other villages in the district of Murshidabad and Malda. Moreover, to live in such a land fast encroaching by river Padma and above all the step brotherly tendency of the both Central and State administrative machineries has made it more complicated and pathetic. In fact, these victimized people of the devastated area including women and children have no option left, but to flee from their villages for their livelihood and survival. Despite extensive media/news coverage about the incidents, the departments concerned of the State machinery are not paying any effective heed to uphold the condition of these ill-fated villagers.
Gradual stepping
This paragraph serves a source of narration how MASUM stepped out with Jalangi and Bellilious Park starving people to various all and sundry desks of administration of West Bengal to make them aware of their true irony with a purpose of a complete redressal of their grievances.
MASUM at the Governor House: On 23 March 2005, MASUM organized a huge demonstration making all the victims from Jalangi and Bellilious Park a part thereof and marched quite good miles in Kolkata and put deputation to various authorities of the State government. First of all, one delegation under leadership of Mr. Sadhan Roy Chowdhury, President of MASUM and veteran human right activist cum artist Mr. Kallol Das Gupta accompanied with the victims namely Ms. E. M. Parvati & her minor daughter Durga of Bellilious Park and Mrs. Shyamali Halder of Jalangi with her minor son met Mr. Gopal Krishna Gandhi, the Honourable Governor of the State at Rajbhaban. Both those victims were representing the same irony others were suffering in their localities and chosen to be a part of delegation as the starvation snatched their dear ones from them. Parvati lost her one son Shiva-3years, another son- Taklu, about 8 months, daughter Lachhmi- 5years and even husband Ganesh just because it was totally unaffordable for her family to provide them two times meals and medicine and Shyamali had the same fatelosing her 2 years old son fed on earth for couple of days because there was no food grains at home and breathed his last.
Mr. Gandhi met the team and heard their grief with rapt attention how they lost their children and one even her husband for want of meals and medicine. Mr. Gandhi who seemed to be very pathetic hearing their tales and committed to do something for those families and for the other victims of Jalangi and of Belgachhia Vagar (dumping ground).
Thereafter, we got a number of occasions to meet Mr. Gopal Krishna Gandhi and kept him aware of the situation narrated above. In most of the cases, Mr. Governor called us and on behalf of him, Mr. Dilip Kumar Rath, IAS, Secretary to the Governor made our programme possible taking his personal care as the matter concerned to sole humanity.
Mr. Gandhi to whom MASUM will ever be thankful for his great deed promised to render all the possible help to Ms. E.M. Parvati, an evictee of Bellilious Park, Howrah with regard to her daughter’s education and also to repay her debt. For education Sister Cyril was consulted who accepted his proposal of educating her daughter at the Loreto School, Sealdah, Kolkata. For her health MASUM has been concerned to her for three – four months last and paying a lump-sum amount to be spent on medicine and other sots of check-up as Parvati has been a patient of tuberculosis.
MASUM got information from the Raj Bhawan (Governor House) that on 16 November 2005, the Governor, Mr. Gandhi made his official visit to Domkal in the district of Mushidabad where he talked to Mr. Narayan Manjubnath Prasad, the District Magistrate, Murshidabad over the matters of Jalangi and enquired of why the list containing the names of people deprived of BPL, Annapurna, Antyadaya, etc submitted by MASUM eight months ago was still pending without any action. He also asked the D.M. if he had been paying special attention to those families who had lost dear ones due to hunger. MASUM expresses its warm pleasure and want to extend the same to every corner that the Hon’ble Governor of the State, Mr. Gandhi too want a fair result on this matter.
What shocks MASUM is the callousness of the government which is the executive body. The Governor being the Constitutional head of a State is so pathetic hearing one particular matter and took step for redressal and all the communications for this sake are being sent to the government through the various channel. But, the government is posing sedentary turning almost all a deaf ear to.
MASUM at the Legislative Assembly: One delegation under the leadership of Mr. Kirity Roy, Secretary, MASUM along with some victims approached to the State Legislative Assembly for which all the persons were issued gate-passes by one member of legislative assembly but it is highly vexed that they were not allowed to enter the Assembly Hall by the security staffs and a huge police contingent were posted at the entrance gate to resist the delegation team of MASUM. Mr. Pankaj Banerjee, Leader of the Opposition and Mr. Tapas Roy, MLA rushed to the gate of Assembly House, talked with victims, received the memorandum and expressed their worries in public/media. Mr. Banerjee said, “This is an example that how the government is in fascist manner obstructing the people to raise their voice”.
MASUM at the UNICEF: MASUM has been in touch of the evictees of Bellilious Park and raised this issue up to international level through Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong. Finding the evictee children in destitute Mr. Nick Cheesman, Program Director of AHRC intended to meet Mr. Swank heading the Kolkata UNICEF with a plea for providing due facilitation to these children in February 2005.Though the appointed was granted, nobody was available at the office of the UNICEF to talk to Mr. Cheesman over the said issue.
After couple of days Ms. Cecil Adorna, Country Representative, UNICEF, New Delhi, India wrote to Mr. Basil Fernando, Executive Director, AHRC, Hong Kong in which she wrote that UNICEF, Kolkata had done lots of things for the well being of the evictees and their children living at Belgachia dumping ground. This made MASUM dissatisfied because the letter of Ms. Adorna was speaking the truth.
On 23 March 2005 MASUM led demonstration and put deputation to Mr. Swank, State Representative, UNICEF, Kolkata and made him aware that nothing such thing had been done for those ill-fated people and made him aware of the true picture. About 3000 people from Jalangi and Bellilious Park (Belgachia dumping ground) took part in this demonstration. At this, UNICEF, Kolkata promised them to visit the area and do the needful. AHRC issued a number of letters and Urgent Appeals and the matter was discussed in international forum.
It was learnt from the Kolkata UNICEF office that they don’t do anything without the consent of the government and utilize their fund where they are asked or pointed to do by the state government. It is something very ironical that that these international agencies are not there to stand by the victims but the perpetrators’ side because it is clear that if our government were so attentive to the victims there would be no need of any international organization. It is clear that the so-called organizations are prospering the corrupt system with their lucrative funding system which is also the misuse of public money.
MASUM at the District Collectorate, Murshidabad: From January up to now MASUM has been monitoring all the happenings at Jalani and raising these matters at the authorities concerned right from the District Magistrate to the Block Development Officer. Several memorandums were submitted to the offices of District Magistrate Mr. Mr. Narayan Manjunath Prasad and the Additional Disstrict Magistrate (General Administration) Mr. Gulam Ali Ansari and consulted in the month of July this year when havoc erosion was taking place destroying almost all possessions of the villagers of Dayarampur, Paraspur, Taltali, Biswaspara and others. They were requested to render all sorts of cooperation to those villagers for survival. In wake of this plea, two trucks of rice reached Dayarampur but the villagers refused to take that rice as it was rotten. MASUM then and there after having this news contacted the DM who told that the quality of rice was good.
MASUM at the Block Office, Jalangi: The representatives of MASUM have been in touch of the Block Development Officer, Mr. Kanchan Chowdhury to have the gradual development on the matter of rehabilitation and other sorts of facilitation to the victims. Now Mr. Chowdhury was succeeded by Mr. Mahto and MASUM also discussed this issue with him. Apart from these officers, Mr. Gautam, Joint BDO of Jalangi was also consulted and contacted for discussion the same matters.
The 73rd Amendment of the Indian Constitution empowering village Panchayet system gave much hope to the villagers that the dream of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of nation of India came true. It was decided that all the development work was done by the Panchayet directly and the fund was allocated through the Block offices. Thus, BDO being the kingpin of the Block administration serves better responsibility as not only an administration but also as a leader and coordinator. But, the statement given by Mr. Chaowdhury as a BDO sprinkles water on this hope of the villagers when he says that he knows the boulders brought for the purpose of arresting erosion are kept in mounts along the road side but he can’t do anything as it doesn’t fall under his administrative capacity but the department of Irrigation. He also fails to provide sufficient information on the distribution of rice or other grains under the various welfare schemes such as BPL, Antyadaya, Annapurna, etc.
