12-year-old dies after walking for 3 days to return home

April 21, 2020

Hyderabad: In another tragic incident highlighting the miseries of migrant labourers during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, a 12-year-old girl, working in Telangana’s chilli fields, died after walking for three days to reach her home in Chhattisgarh.

Jamla Makhdam, who had started walking along with 10 others on April 15, collapsed and died when she was just an hour away from home in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh.

The group had walked nearly 150 kms from Kannayaguda village in Jayashankar Bhupalapally district.

The incident came to light on Tuesday when Balala Hakkula Sangham, a NGO fighting for child rights, filed a petition in Telangana State Human Rights Commission seeking a probe into the incident.

According to the NGO, the girl along with her family was working in a chilli farm at Kannayguda of Eturu Nagaram mandal in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district.

Achyuta Rao, president, Balala Hakkula Sangham, told IANS that they requested the commission to direct the district collector to answer as to how a 12-year-old was employed in a farm and how the district admission allowed them to cross the district border in this lockdown.

“We also requested the commission to direct the district collector of Bhupalpally district to initiate action against the officials for their negligence regarding the safety of the child, which ultimately led to her death,” he said.

The NGO also sought directions to the government to pay compensation to the family of the deceased.