Deputy leader of the Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Chaudhary Rakesh Singh Chaturvedi on Wednesday demanded a judicial probe into the death of Choti Bai Jatav, an old dalit woman, due to extreme hunger and excessive thirst during the Bhind district collector’s public hearing on May 18.
The state government has denied the charge of hunger death. Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday evening, state minister Narottam Mishra said that Choti Bai died a natural death. Regarding post-mortem, he said that it was not conducted keeping in view her family’s request.
Addressing a press conference, the deputy opposition leader earlier said that Choti Bai (about 82 years) belonged to a scheduled caste community. She was receiving the social security old age pension since 1996 but this was stopped abruptly about a year ago. She had gone to the district collector’s office several times to pursue her case. Finally, she had been told to redress her grievance at the district collector’s public hearing. According to her elder brother Shokiram, who had given her shelter, Choti Bai made endless rounds of these public hearing camps held every Tuesday. On May 18, she once more went there, but the district collector and other officials did not pay any attention to her. It was at this juncture that she collapsed and died.