-- Urgent appeal - RTF, 31 May 2005

CASE DETAILS:
 
Victim: Vishambhar, son of Ramnandan
Location:  Resident of village Sankarpur, Post- Chiraigoan, District- Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
 
Vishambhar, a weaver, lives with his four children (one of them barely 2 months old, who died recently due to malnutrition on May 21, 2005) in a thatched hut. He is living in a pathetic condition. He and his family are facing starvation. He has been rendered jobless as there has been a recession in market demand for the past four years. His misery and suffering has been further coupled by the untimely death of his wife Jigna on April 16, 2005 and his daughter Soni, age 16, on April 21, 2005 due to starvation and hunger-related diseases. They had not received proper food for the last 4-5 month before their death.
                   
The government has failed to discharge its duty of providing even minimum assistance to weavers like Vishambhar. Instead of providing red card (poorest ration card) in AAY, Vishambhar has been provided with a white card. He does not own even a piece of land, which can be used as a source of sustenance. Faced with such scarcity of food, hunger and starvation, Vishambhar and his four children are about to disappear in the abyss of death.
                   
After the media reports, the administration did wake up, but only to sleep again. The authorities provided Vishambhar, a meagre ration of 50 kg wheat and 20 kg of rice which would only last for a few months. He was fared to give a false testimony.
                   
The case of Vishambhar is not an isolated one. There are many more cases of starvation deaths which are either unreported or have facts are suppressed by the administration.
                   
Vishambhar has submitted an affidavit to the District Magistrate, Varanasi to plead his cause.
 
Plea:
1. Relevant orders to the concerned authorities to make Vishambhar a beneficiary of red card, food for work and Indira Awash Yojana Schemes.
2. Absolve him from the liability to repay the loan amount.
3. To take appropriate action against the ICDS department for death his newborn son and panchayat (village) secretary along with Pradhan for no action for saving the life of people in the village.
 
SUGGESTED ACTION:
 
After visiting the village, the PVCHR representatives sent a petition to key persons in government and other agencies. Please support their petition, by also sending a letter to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on this case. A sample letter follows.
----------------
 
Dear Mr Yadav
 
Sub: Pleading justice to Vishambhar S/o Ramnandan, resident of village Sankarpur, Post- Chiraigoan, District- Varanasi,UP
 
I am deeply disturbed to hear of death of two children due to acute malnutrition and disease of hunger in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.  I would like to remind you that you have obligations under international and national law to all persons residing in the state of Uttar Pradesh to respect, protect and fulfil the right to food. Furthermore, I urge you to order a thorough investigation of the case, to establish the prevailing conditions in the children's village with a view to preventing further starvation among children and other residents there.

Finally, I urge you to order a separate investigation into the alleged negligence of the village authorities, and any other concerned state officers, with a view to holding them liable for their breach of these obligations to the two children concerned. In this regard, I would stress that the right to food can be made effective only through enforcement of the right by way of criminal action against persons or agencies responsible for violations.
 
Yours sincerely
 
---
 
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
 
Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
Chief Minister's Secretariat
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, INDIA
Fax: + 91-522-2230002/2239234
Email: csup@up.nic.in
 
PLEASE SEND COPIES TO:
 
1. Justice A. S. Anand
National Human Rights Commission
Sardar Patel Bhaven, Sansad Marg,
New Delhi - 110 001, INDIA
Tel: + 91 11 23346244
Fax: + 91 11 23366537
E-mail: ionhrc@hub.nic.in or chairnhrc@nic.in
 
2. Chief Justice of India
Supreme Court of India
New Delhi 110001, INDIA
Fax: +91-11-23383792/23381508
 
3. Justice A P Mishra
Chairperson
Uttar Pradesh Human Rights Commission
6-A Kalidass Marg
Lucknow Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
 
OR
 
27 Park Road
Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Tel: + 91 532-2726742
Fax: + 91 532-2726743
Email: uphrc@sancharnet.in
 
4. Mr. Jean Ziegler
UNCHR, Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food
c/o Mr. Carlos Villan Duran
Room 4-066  Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Palais Wilson, Rue des Paquis 52,
Geneva, SWITZERLAND
Fax: +41 22 917 9010
Email: sect.hchr@unog.ch
 
5. Mr Anthony Banbury
Regional Director
World Food Programme
Unit No. 2, 7th Floor
Wave Place Building
55 Wireless Road
Lumpini, Patumwan,
Bangkok 10330
THAILAND
Tel: +66-2-6554115
Fax: +66-2-6554413
Email: Anthony.banbury@wfp.org or Bkk.unescap@un.org
 
6. Mr. Pedro Medrano Rojas
Country Director World Food Programme
2 Poorvi Marg, Vasant Vihar,
New Delhi 110057
INDIA
Tel: +91-11-26150000
Fax: +91-11-26150019
Email: wfp.newdelhi@wfp.org
 
7. Dr. N.C.Saxena and Mr.S.R.Sankaran, Commissioner
Mr. Harshmander-special commissioner
Supreme court of India
SAMYA, R-38A, 2nd floor, South Extention-part2,
New Delhi-49, INDIA
Email: commissioners@vsnl.net