The negligence on part of the district administration of Sitapur, led to death of a 40-year-old woman, who reportedly died of dehydration while she was on a hunger strike. She was demanding the re-opening of a sugar mill in Maholi area which has been closed for last 17-years. Reports said that Ramrati, a labour union member, was on a hunger strike along with 30 other women workers, who all were demanding the start of work at the sugar mill in Maholi at Sitapur, as they found it difficult to run their house-holds.
Surprisingly, despite of the prior notices has been served to the officials concerned about the above agitation and a request was also made to intervene and ensure justice to the workers, but none of the officer of the district administration, police department or the labour department, which is directly responsible to ensure welfare and rights of workers, had turned up and take pain to carry forward the `voice’ of the women labourers to the management or to the authorities concerned.
Reports further said that keeping fast for last few days, had turned fatal for the Ramrati, whose condition deteriorated on Friday evening. It was only when she fainted, the local police rushed to the spot and shifted her to hospital. However, it was too late till then, and the woman labourer was pronounced dead upon arrival. The doctors who attended on her claimed dehydration as the reason for her death. Surprisingly, the local police in efforts to conceal their negligence had instead registered a case against the agitators claiming that they went ahead with hunger strike even when they were denied the permission for it. The cops also claimed that the woman died of the heat.