The Hindu : Starvation deaths

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 21, 2002

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Starvation deaths

Sir, — The National Human Rights Commission's report on the starvation deaths in Kashipur in Orissa last year raises some important questions. It recognises the role of poverty and the lack of healthcare facilities in the region and also points to the lack of appreciation of these facts by the Orissa Government. The Commission's conclusion that the deaths were not due to starvation is open to question. The Commission reportedly said that "eating mango kernel was not the issue". The fact that mango kernel is eaten does not mean that it is a healthy, acceptable food.

The most important aspect of the report that contradicts its own conclusion is the statement about the "enfeebled bodies" of the people that are prone to disease. The final event leading to death may be the lack of food or the disease brought on by poor immunity. But in either situation, the role of starvation cannot be discounted. In the background of poverty, distinguishing between starvation and disease as the cause of death could only be hair-splitting?

Ganesh Pai. C,
Melaka, Malaysia

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