In a tragic incident highlighting the plight of migrant workers in the nationwide lockdown, a 12-year-old girl died while making a 150-kilometre trip on foot from a village in Telangana to her native Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh.
Jamlo Madkam was trapped in Telangana after the state sealed its borders on March 22 to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The young girl is said to have travelled to the state around two months ago to work as a child labourer in chilli fields in Kannaiguda village in Mulugu district. However, authorities in Telangana say that this is yet to be established. As per a preliminary enquiry, they say that the girl may have been staying at Peruru village in the district with some relatives.
With the lockdown in place and no means of income, Jamlo, along with a group of others, including some relatives who were working in the fields, started walking on April 15 and she died near Bhandarpal village in Bijapur on the morning of April 18.
Coronavirus test returns negative
Her samples have tested negative for coronavirus and she may have died due to electrolyte imbalance, officials in Chattisgarh said.
"The distance between the place in Telangana where she worked and Bijapur is 150 kilometres and she died some 50 kilometres away from her native village in Chhattisgarh. She had a meal on Saturday morning but then complained of stomach ache and uneasiness and died around 10 am," Bijapur Chief Medical and Health Officer BR Pujari told PTI.
"Her samples were sent for coronavirus testing on Saturday and the report returned negative on Sunday evening. Prima facie, it seems she died of electrolyte imbalance," he added.
He said those who were walking along with her had informed officials that Jamlo did not eat well and that this may have caused muscle fatigue. He added that the viscera had been preserved for further medical investigation.
The Chhattisgarh government on Monday evening announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh for the kin of the girl.
Petition filed in Telangana SHRC
Meanwhile,a petition has been filed with the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) in Telangana.
The petition, filed by Achyuta Rao of child rights organisation 'Balala Hakkula Sangham', asked the SHRC to issue orders to the District Collector seeking an enquiry into how the Labour Department and District Child Protection Unit did not rescue the girl, if she was involved in child labour.
"How did the District Administration allow her and the group she was travelling with, to cross the border in this pandemic?" the petition asks, further demanding action against the officials responsible for the death, on the grounds of negligence.
Speaking to TNM, Mulugu District Collector Krishna Aditya said, "We are still verifying the facts, based on the claim in the news report. We are already on the ground enquiring what exactly happened. The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) staff is also on it."
He added that the district administration was taking care of thousands of migrant workers in the region and had already taken up extensive counselling, asking them to remain in Telangana until the lockdown ended.
With checkposts set up at all the borders between Telangana and Chattissgarh, officials believe that the group of workers may have trekked through the forest to evade authorities.
PTI inputs