Jharkhand girl's 'starvation death': Mother attacked for 'defaming village' -Saurav Roy

-Hindustan Times

Koili Devi, whose daughter starved to death after ration card was caught in tech glitch over Aadhaar, apparently travelled eight kilometers from her village Karimati in Jharkhand’s far-flung Simdega district to seek shelter at the home of an activist.

Ranchi: A Jharkhand woman, whose daughter allegedly starved to death last month because the family’s Aadhaar and ration cards weren’t linked, was attacked by villagers, activists and local sources said on Saturday.

Koili Devi apparently travelled eight kilometers from her village Karimati in Jharkhand’s far-flung Simdega district to seek shelter at the home of an activist, Taramani Sahu, in Patiamba village in Jaldega block on Saturday morning.

“I was in Ranchi when my family called me to say Koili Devi had arrived at my home after her family was attacked for defaming the village,” Sahu told Hindustan Times.

Koili Devi’s11-year-old daughter, Santoshi Kumari, died on September 28 after allegedly starving for four days because her family was struck off the government welfare rolls for not linking their ration card with Aadhaar. The family had not received any ration since February after their ration card was allegedly cancelled due to a failure in Aadhaar seeding, but subsisted on doles and the midday meal Santoshi would get at her school.

The allegations surfaced this week and sparked outrage, forcing the government to order a probe. The local administration has denied that starvation killed Santoshi and claimed that she was suffering from malaria. State food minister Saryu Roy has also said that Aadhaar cards weren’t necessary to get rations.

Simdega deputy commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri confirmed that he had received complaints that Koili Devi was attacked and asked the police to provide security to her family.

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