INDIA: Human rights activist threatened for reporting starvation death

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights [PVCHR] in Uttar Pradesh that their field activist Mr. Manoj Kumar is threatened by the local authorities for reporting a case of death from starvation. Pritam, three-year-old son of Mr. Ram Karan starved to death in Arkhapur (Alhadapur) on 25 November, 2007. Manoj Kumar was helping Pritam’s parents to pursue the local authorities to save Pritam’s life.

CASE DETAILS:

Pritam [picture1] was three-years-old. His parents are from the Chamar community, a community considered untouchable in India. Manoj is the local field staff of the PVCHR who was trying to help the family to get required medical assistance to Pritam since his parents could not afford it.

On 13 October 2007, Pritam was taken to the R. K. Primary Health Centre. At the centre Dr. R. K. Singh diagnosed Pritam was suffering from acute malnourishment. Pritam was suffering from Grade IV malnourishment and Pneumonia. Priam was weighing only five kilograms.

Once the PVCHR came to know about Pritam’s case, he was taken care of by the PVCHR. However Pritam did not respond to the treatment and died on November 25. Since October 13 Manoj [picture 2] was trying to alert the district administration regarding Pritam’s situation. Manoj, through the PVCHR contacted the District Magistrate (DM) Mr. Ajay Kumar Upadhyay seeking help from the district administration to help Pritam’s family. The response of the district administration however was not positive. The officers at the DM’s office threatened Manoj for taking up the cases, particularly those of the Dalit communities in the village. Being insensitive to the plight of the poor people within his jurisdiction, the DM who came to the village the next day after Pritam’s death threatened Pritam’s father, Raj Karan, intimidating him and shouting at Raj that some of their children would die if a poor person like Raj had several children.

Raj has seven children. It is true that having more children to feed is a problem in poor families. But one also has to understand that in poor families in rural India where there are no guarantees that any child would eventually survive the odds to take care of the family when the parents are old, the parents tend to have as many children as possible when they are relatively healthy. Additionally having several children also means that there are more earning members in the family.

In the first week of November the staff from the AHRC visited the village. When the district administration came to know that national and international attention is brought into the village, the officers from the district administration came to village for the first time and gave Rupees 100 (USD 2) each and a bottle of milk to some families and threatened them not to talk to any ‘human rights people’. Pritam’s parents also were threatened by the officers in similar fashion.

The state government has several schemes to ensure food security to the rural communities. All these schemes can functions well only if the district administration functions properly. The village head under the Panchayath Raj Scheme also has a duty to ensure that the welfare schemes for the poor families, particularly of the Dalit communities, in fact reach those who are in need. Unfortunately in Ahaladpur village, the village head Mr. Sangram Verma himself is the barrier for these schemes to reach the needy.

For example, the proper distribution of subsidised food grains through the Public Distribution System (PDS) depends upon the earnestness of the village head in ensuring proper delivery of the food grains through the PDS shop. Sangram, the village head is corrupt and prevents the food grains from being distributed to the poor. The grain stock is sold to private restaurants through the black market. For this the village head connives with the PDS shop licensee, Mr. Ram Kuber. The village head also prevents the poor from getting a ration card, which is an essential document to get rationed articles through the PDS shop. For example Raj has a ration card, but the food grains that he could get through the PDS shop is not enough to feed his family. This is because often the shopkeeper refuses to distribute grains on the ground that there is no stock.

When Pritam died, several news reporters came to the village to cover Pritam’s story. Fearing that this would expose the village head and his corrupt practices, the village head on 26 November 2007 threatened Manoj that if this continues, he would be beaten up. This is not the first instance where children have died from malnourishment in this village. On 13 April 2007, the AHRC had reported the case of 5-year-old Juli who was also facing similar situation as of Pritam from the same village. Three days after the appeal Juli died. For further information please see HA-005-2007.

The Anganwadi in Alhadapur village is not functioning properly. The Auxiliary Nursing Mother (ANM) neglects the duty to such extent that the ANM only visited the families a day prior to the AHRC’s visit to the village. The Anganwadi is a government run centre where nutritious food and primary medical care is expected to be provided to the poor children. It is also a place where the staffs are expected to keep records of the general health conditions of rural children who visit the Anganwadi. These records are vital because they are also used by the state governments to take policy decisions regarding medical care for rural children.

The Anganwadi staffs are also trained in adopting World Health Organization (WHO) protocols. The activities at the Anganwadis are: 1) continuous mapping of severely malnourished children in village, 2) regular weighing of children with the involvement of mothers, 3) tracking and listing, referral services, home visits by Anganwadi helpers, 4) special visits to the homes of the children discharged from Malnutrition Treatment Centre (MTC) and involvement of community volunteers. Children falling in Grade III and IV of malnutrition must be monitored for signs and symptoms of infections and referred to Public Health Centres, First Referral Unit (FRU) or Community Health Centres for treatment. 

Neglect of duty and lack of proper accountability of the primary health care staff is quite common in India. As for the poor families in Alahadapur are concerned they do not even know where the Anganwadi is and what services are available through the Anganwadi. 

The AHRC in the past has reported several cases where poor children from rural background have lost their life due to the neglect of the primary health care staff in India. This partially explains why one in every third malnourished child lives in India.

As of now there are several other families living in similar condition as that of Raj Karan in Alhadapur. If the state administration fails to take immediate steps to address the serious food crisis in Alhadapur village more people will die from starvation and malnourishment in this village.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh to express your concern in this case. As for Manoj Kumar, even though he has been threatened and intimidated by the authorities he is continuing his work in the village. Manoj however requires your immediate support failing which his life will be in danger.

The AHRC also requests you to write to the state government authorities expressing concern about Manoj Kumar and the living condition of the poor families in Alhadapur. Please request the state government to direct the district administration that the PDS shop and the Anganwadi in the village functions properly. The functioning of the PDS shop must be investigated by the police and penal actions taken against the shopkeeper and the village head if they are found guilty of black-marketing of rationed articles.

The AHRC is writing a separate report to the UN Rapporteur on Right to Food calling for an intervention into the case.

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER