Madhya Pradesh: Hunger Forces Tribal Child To Drink Insecticide; Condition Critical

In Madhya Pradesh, a child from a tribal family allegedly consumed insecticide after he was starving for food. The incident has forced the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to set up an inquiry into the matter.

Child drinks insecticide out of hunger

The incident reportedly happened on December 31, in Ratlam district. According to the media reports, on the day of the incident, the child made several requests to the local ration shop to give him some wheat. After his repeated requests were declined, the child could not cope up with hunger. As per the reports, he then consumed insecticide. The child is said to be in a critical condition, reports The Quint.

Soon after the incident, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) set up an inquiry to look into the matter. The NCPCR team would soon submit its report, an official said.

Malnourishment – the greater devil

This is not the first time in the country when a child has to suffer from starvation. In the past, these have been several reports that claim that many people including old and young have allegedly died due to hunger. Madhya Pradesh specifically is infamous for a large number of deaths due to malnourishment and undernourishment. A report in 2017 suggested that in 2016 alone, a staggering 28,000 children below the age of six died due to malnourishment and diseases related to it. However, the state women and child welfare department refused to admit that the deaths happened due to malnourishment. This denial came even as the department accepted that the children died of diseases resulting from malnourishment.

The situation is not great in other states also. According to a recent report, 18 people had reportedly died due to starvation in Jharkhand alone, since September 2017. However, the state government has denied that the death happened due to starvation. The unofficial death toll from starvation reached 350 and 150 in Orissa and Bihar in 2015, respectively, reported Down To Earth.

The Logical Indian Take

It may be hard for many of us to believe that in the 21st century India, people are still suffering from starvation. It is heart-wrenching to even think that a kid was forced to drink insecticide due to hunger. We hope the Madhya Pradesh government would do a proper investigation into the matter.

Also Read: Jharkhand: 18 People Died Of ‘Starvation’, State Govt Denies Responsibility