Jharkhand Shocker
In yet another case of severe apathy, a 58-year-old woman allegedly died of starvation at a village under Dumri Block of Jharkhand's Giridih district. The woman reportedly was left starving for at least three days.
District officials said that the woman's family did not have access to a ration card, however, they are probing whether a formal application had been submitted regarding the same.
Savitri Devi, a resident of Mangargaddi village in Dumri, passed away on Saturday but it was only on Sunday when her younger son reached home and came to know about the incident.
Rahul Dev, Executive Magistrate and Dumri Block Development Officer (in-charge) also said that the family did not have a ration card.
"Prima facie, there was no food in the house. The family did not have a ration card. Probe is underway to ascertain whether an application was submitted or processed further," he said.
Ram Prasad Mahto, the head of Chainpur Panchayat, said that Savitri's elder daughter-in-law did come to him and that he had verified her ration card application, but at the same time, he said he is unsure if she submitted it in the block office for further procedure.
Since September 5 last year, five people have allegedly died of hunger in different parts of Jharkhand, but in all the cases, the administration has denied the charges of starvation deaths.
