RAIPUR: Did Ribai Pandos daughter-in-law and grandson die of starvation in Surguja, the tribal area of Biaspur district? This is being denied by the district administration and the state government has accepted its report in to, However, Rani Devendra Kumari Singh Dev. former minister and wife of the former ruler and former chief secretary of the Madhya Pradesh government, MS Singh Dev, after a visit to the area claimed that the deaths were due to starvation.
The district administration has contended that the daughter-in law, 230-year-old widow and her son, Babulal, had died of a disease Common in their family. It also stated that Ribai Pandos claim that he had become destitute was not correct as he owned land, confirming the starvation deaths, the tribals of Bijakara small locality about 40. km from wadrafnagar the tehsil headquarters, maintained that the area was facing fit mine-like conditions and most families could a meat only once every two days
The unprecedented scarcity of food had forced quite a few of the tribals to kill monkeys and cats to alleviate their hunger, Rani Devendra Kumari told reporters. Surguja is not the only district where tribals have resorted to such means to avert starvation, ac: cording to Raghu Thakur, president of the All-India Samajwadi Manch, formed by Lohiaite socialists. It was also being done in Massoli village of Shahdol district in Rewa division
Thakur told reporters that those who had killed monkeys were taken to task by the panchayat as the monkey was regarded as a god by the tribals. Thakur has also filed petition before the Supreme Court.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 20, 1992
