After the hype

Three years ago Jhintu Bariha's death from starvation in Bolangir had made national headlines. Not much has changed there since then, despite the overweening presence of its influential royals, reports Ajit Nayak

 

Bolangir in Odisha is known for its influential royal family. The Singh Deo family has presided over the fortunes of this impoverished district since independence. 

 

Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo was chief minister of the state during the post-1947. After him his sons Raj Raj Singh Deo and AU Singh Deo inherited the politics of the district. That mantle has since then moved to the next generation. KB Singh Deo (son of Raj Raj) and his wife Sangita are in active politics, representing the district both in Parliament and the Assembly at various times. As is Kalikesh, son of AU Singh Deo.

 

“Barring a few instances, no one can win from here without assistance of the Singh Deo family. They control politics here,” says social activist Arun Mishra.

 

It is therefore surprising that with such political heavyweights in control here, there could be such a large number of starvation deaths. In the past three years, more than 50 people have perished inBolangir district because of starvation and malnutrition, claim social activists.

 

However, neither the state government nor the district administration has thestatistics. Far from an acknowledgment, the government has used another ruse to divert attention – it has attributed the deaths to malaria and other diseases. Thanks to local activists, media and some lion-hearted civil society activism, the real issue was brought out into the open. It compelled the government to alert the local administration on steps to get a fix on the situation – never mind if those steps were not taken.

 

The story of the remote village of Chabiripali in Khaprakhol block, located at the foothills of the Gandhamardhan mountains, is an illustrative case. Here Jhintu Bariha, 41, lost his life to starvation along with his wife, two sons, his daughter and mother. The Bolangir administration took no steps to rescue the family. They blamed malaria and in a cover-up bid, filled the Bariha mud tenement with rice bags to show the deaths were not starvation-related.

 

Soon enough, politicians, the media, human right groups and other busybodies invaded the village and it became a 'national story'. The villagers were given to believe that things would change for the better. But those false assurances turned out to be what they were – phoney – as nothing changed. 

 

The only positive thing – if it can be called positive – was the deification of Jhintu Bariha, who became the abiding symbol of death due to starvation and everyone who was anyone descended upon the village in droves, shedding copious crocodile tears.

 

“National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) officials visited the village and recorded statements of those who had survived. NHRC members were as taken aback as the rest of the world to learn that people there ate nothing but mahua flowers, kendu leaves and other forest produce to survive,'' says Mishra, president of the Samajwadi Party. 

 

According to him, the NHRC team assured them that a report would be submitted to the government but that turned out to be as farcical as the political assurances. "Till date we are not even certain whether the report was submitted and if any action was taken by the government,'' adds Mishra.

 

Nearly three years since then, the condition of the village remains as pathetic as it was when Jhintu died. Hunger and disparity still rule. Many villagers have been forced to migrate in search of jobs and food. Champe Bariha, Jhintu's 80-year-old father, now spends time in an old-age home in Bolangir. He is one of three in the family who survived.

 

Fearing further adverse publicity, the district administration did what it does best: it lodged Champe in an old age home and his grandson, Brusab, the third surviving member of the family, in an orphanage. A visibly moved Champe told TSI, "I lost everyone, including my son and wife. I am unable to sleep because the deaths haunt me." A sordid tale of neglect and apathy.

 

The administration insists that proper arrangements are in place to streamline a rickety distribution system to prevent any further starvation deaths. “We have taken all measures to prevent further starvation deaths. We have included all villagers under various schemes to provide food round the year,” says the block development officer (BDO) of Khaprakhol, BK Behera. According to the villagers, however,food grains are still not their staple diet, instead they have to depend – as their ancestors have –on forest produce such as mahua flowers and kendu leaves. 

 

“We do not get rice regularly as most of us do not have above poverty line (APL) and below poverty line (BPL) cards. Block officials have assured us jobs under National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), but due to incessant delays, people are migrating for better opportunities,” says villager Bishnu Bariha.

 

On the other hand, corruption has gone through the roof with the Bolangir royals deciding on a hands-off policy and remaining largely disinterested in the goings on. “They (the royals) stay out of the constituency most of the time and make their presence felt only during elections or on special occasions. They rule Bolangir through their proxies," a close aide of the royals said. 

 

But KB Singh Deo, MLA from Patnagarh assembly constituency, says the charges are incorrect. He admits there is migration from the area but it is not because of the fact that people do not get government benefits. Singh Deo also refutes the charge that he prefers to live outside the constituency. "I have constantly fought for the improvement of the people of my constituency and have raised their issues at various forums. The practical aspect of implementation and the ground realities at the lower level are hardly considered while formulating a scheme for poor people at the state or the national level. So people do not usually get the benefits of various developmental schemes despite crores of rupees being pumped in for the purpose," he told TSI.

 

In such a scenario, can the Maoists be far behind? With each passing day, Left radicals, taking advantage of underdevelopment and poverty, are increasing their footprints in the village and in the region. After all, who is to stop them? Certainly not the local politicians or the state government.