Sakina died of starvation, was denied ration: Husband Ishaq

Bareli: After the case of a 50-year-old Muslim woman, Sakina’s death came to light, the officers are trying to give a different angle to the case. It is being tried to shield the culprits and it is claimed that Sakina’s death occurred due to illness and not because of starvation. Although Sakina’s neighbours Nazakat, Kallu, Nanhe and Sharafat have rejected the claim of her death due to illness and said, ‘Sakina’s family was dependent on the food grains they get from the ration shop. However she could not reach the shop due to illness and was denied ration. The food was not prepared in the house for several days after which on Tuesday Sakina collapsed due to weakness and died. The funeral rites were arranged by collecting funds.
After DM Raghuvendra Singh ordered probe into the incident, SDM Meerganj R Chauhan, district supply officer Seema Tirpathi, supply inspector Yogal Kishore, ARO Rameshwar Prasad, Lekhpal Gopal Prasad, reached Sakina’s house on Wednesday. They called Sakina’s husband Ishaq Mohammed, neighbours and quota dealer and interrogated them.
Sakina’s husband Mohammad Ishaq reiterated his claim that Sakina died of starvation. He said despite the family pleading with the ration shop owner, he refused to give them ration without biometric authentication at the outlet. “My wife died because of hunger. She was very ill. We used to take her there in a rickshaw. This time she was very ill. We begged the Kotedar (ration shop owner), but he said he would not give anything without biometrics,” Ishaq told the electronic media.
However Ram Akshay, the SDM of Meerganj has refuted the allegations, saying the deceased had ₹4,572 in her bank account, so the claim of abject poverty does not stick. District supply officer Seema Tripathi also told that during investigation it was found that Sakina died of illness, she had ration card and was getting food grains for three months.
Ration dealer Ahmed Nabi told that ration card holders are given food grain from 5th to 20th on biometric authentication and after 21st they are given ration on producing identity card. Hence Sakina’s husband was not given ration. She was marked as head of the family in the ration card.
This is second case of starvation death within one month after an 11-year-old tribal girl died in Jharkhand’s Simdega district asking for rice. She allegedly died after her family was denied ration as their ration and Aadhaar cards were not linked.