"Failure" to link aadhaar with BPL ration card main reason for Karnataka Dalit family starvation deaths: PUCL report

The hut in which Nagamma family lives

By A Representative
A People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Karnataka, investigation has revealed that Jharkhand is not alone where starvation deaths have taken due to lack of the aadhaar document. A report based on the investigation by Narasimhappa TV was prepared following a news story citing opposing claims of the reasons for three deaths in a Dalit family in a village in Gorkana district in July this year.
The PUCL report said, the family of Nagamma Ganpathi Maru Mukhri, a widow, and four children, have a below poverty line (BPL) ration card. The three of her four sons who died are Narayan Maru Mukhri, Subbu Maru Mukhri and Venkatarammna Maru Mukhri.
The family is entitled to 35 kilos of rice every month, but, says Nasamhappa’s report, “The last time they got ration on the ration card was on November 22, 2016 and December 17, 2016, as mentioned in the ration card”, and the “quantity they got was 28 kilos rice, 6 kg wheat, and 1kg sugar in six months.”
“On March 27, 2017, again, 35 kilos of rice were provided. However, they didn’t get any ration for six months this year, except in the month of March, on the grounds that they have not linked their ration card with their aadhaar card”, the report says.
The PUCL decided to undertake the investigation following the claim by the district commissioner that the deaths took place because of “excessive consumption of alcohol by the three victims”.
Noting that Nagamma and two of the four sons of in the family did not have aadhaar cards, PUCL says, Nagamma admitted, she had a ration card and would get monthly ration, adding, she never faced problem with getting food, when they failed to get job as daily wagers.
“However, the problem arose when the Food and Civil Supplies Department demanded that aadhaar card and ration card should be linked, as she and her two sons didn’t have an aadhaar card; therefore, they faced the problem of starvation, as during this time they were not receiving the daily wages, too”, the report states.
“She mentioned that the death of three sons was due to the irresponsibility and negligence of the Food and Civil Department, Kumuta Taluk, and the Gram Panchayat authorities, and further mentioned that the reason for the death was that they had not been provided ration facilities to the family for about seven months”, the report says.
Says the PUCL report, a local NGO Mahaganpathi Samaj Seva Sangh, on receiving information about the death of two within six days, on coming to know that the family had no food to eat, decided to provide rice, toor daal, coconut, potato, wheat and other items to it.
PUCL quotes Kumara Jeeva Hatigi, member of the NGO, as saying that he knew at least one of the deceased, Narayanna Maru Mukhri, who “was not an alcoholic person, though he was epileptic.”
Quoting the local ration shop owner, the report states, he admitted that Nagamma’s name was “not mentioned” in the list of ration recipients, “and the reason given was that the ration card and aadhaar card had not been linked.”

The food inspector of Kumuta Taluk said, the aadhaar card “had not been provided by the victims or their mother.” And the tehsildar “shockingly stated that ‘If the victims were really starving,then they could have approached dharmchatra (the place where the food is served on charity)’.”

Comments

Countrywide protest by gig workers puts spotlight on algorithmic exploitation

By A Representative A nationwide protest led largely by women gig and platform workers was held across several states on February 3, with the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) claiming the mobilisation as a success and a strong assertion of workers’ rights against what it described as widespread exploitation by digital platform companies. Demonstrations took place in Delhi, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra and other states, covering major cities including New Delhi, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Mumbai, along with multiple districts across the country.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Budget 2026 focuses on pharma and medical tourism, overlooks public health needs: JSAI

By A Representative Jan Swasthya Abhiyan India (JSAI) has criticised the Union Budget 2026, stating that it overlooks core public health needs while prioritising the pharmaceutical industry, private healthcare, medical tourism, public-private partnerships, and exports related to AYUSH systems. In a press note issued from New Delhi, the public health network said that primary healthcare services and public health infrastructure continue to remain underfunded despite repeated policy assurances.

'Gandhi Talks': Cinema that dares to be quiet, where music, image and silence speak

By Vikas Meshram In today’s digital age, where reels and short videos dominate attention spans, watching a silent film for over two hours feels almost like an act of resistance. Directed by Kishor Pandurang Belekar, “Gandhi Talks” is a bold cinematic experiment that turns silence into language and wordlessness into a powerful storytelling device. The film is not mere entertainment; it is an experience that pushes the viewer inward, compelling reflection on life, values, and society.

Penpa Tsering’s leadership and record under scrutiny amidst Tibetan exile elections

By Tseten Lhundup* Within the Tibetan exile community, Penpa Tsering is often described as having risen through grassroots engagement. Born in 1967, he comes from an ordinary Tibetan family, pursued higher education at Delhi University in India, and went on to serve as Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile from 2008 to 2016. In 2021, he was elected Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), becoming the second democratically elected political leader of the administration after Lobsang Sangay.

When compassion turns lethal: Euthanasia and the fear of becoming a burden

By Deepika A 55-year-old acquaintance passed away recently after a long battle with cancer. Why so many people are dying relatively young is a question being raised in several forums, and that debate is best reserved for another day. This individual was kept on a ventilator for nearly five months, after which the doctors and the family finally decided to let go. The cost of keeping a person on life support for such extended periods is enormous. Yet families continue to spend vast sums even when the chances of survival are minimal. Life, we are told, is precious, and nature itself strives to protect and sustain it.

Report exposes human rights gaps in India's $36 billion garment export industry

By Jag Jivan A new report sheds light on the urgent human rights challenges within India’s vast textile and garment industry, as global regulations increasingly demand corporate accountability in supply chains. Titled “Beneath the Seams,” the study reveals that despite the sector employing over 45 million people, systemic issues of poverty wages, unfair purchasing practices, and the exclusion of workers from decision-making persist, leaving millions vulnerable.

When resistance became administrative: How I learned to stop romanticising the labour movement

By Rohit Chauhan* On my first day at a labour rights NGO, I was given a monthly sales target: sixty memberships. Not sixty workers to organise, not sixty conversations about exploitation, not sixty political discussions. Sixty conversions. I remember staring at the whiteboard, wondering whether I had mistakenly walked into a multi-level marketing office instead of a trade union. The language was corporate, the urgency managerial, and the tone unmistakably transactional. It was my formal introduction to a strange truth I would slowly learn: in contemporary India, even rebellion runs on performance metrics.

Silencing the university: How fear is replacing debate in academic India

By Sunil Kyumar* “Republic Day is a powerful symbol of our freedom, Constitution, and democratic values. This festival gives us renewed energy and inspiration to move forward together with the resolve of nation-building”, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 26, 2026. On this occasion, the Prime Minister also shared a Sanskrit subhashita— “Paratantryābhibhūtasya deśasyābhyudayaḥ kutaḥ. Ataḥ svātantryamāptavyaṁ aikyaṁ svātantryasādhanam.”

Search This Blog