The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Secretary of the Ministry of Indian Overseas Affairs and the district Collector of Bhadrak over the mysterious death of Jiban Patra on April 7 in los Angels and the subsequent failure of the Government in bringing back in time to India the body of the poor, unfortunate person from a remote village of Odisha whose family members are now left in the lurch. Patra died when he had gone to the United States as a member of Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra’s team.
Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy has filed a petition before the NHRC citing the urgency of the issue and seeking immediate action. The petition points out that Patra’s family does not have any male member now or anybody having earning capacity. The family has been shattered in grief, sorrow and sufferings. Patra’s 80-year-old mother is on the verge of death.
Patra, a native of Barandua under Basudevpur block in Bhadrak district, was found dead in los Angeles’ Beverly Hills Hotel. He is survived by his wife Minakshi and two children, who are in Mumbai. His elder brother had earlier died in his village four years ago leaving behind his wife and two children. His father also died last year.
Due to the lack of any financial support and legal assistance, the family members especially those living in the village have been starving, Tripathy has pointed out in his petition.
Patra was working hard to support his family in Mumbai, his deceased brother's family and his mother in Odisha and got his two sisters married. So, Tripathy has urged the NHRC to immediately ask the Ministry of External Affairs to act on a war footing, to direct the State Government to extend all sorts of support under various welfare schemes to the family members and ensure the basic human rights of all the family members.
Tripathy has further sought a direction from the NHRC to the Government to provide education free of cost to all the four kids of the family till they complete their education, to extend immediate financial support to the family for their survival with dignity or else the family would perish without care.