The Chhattisgarh Government announced a compensation of Rs. 1 lakh to the family of a 12 year old who died while walking home, amid nation wide lockdown.
A 12 year old girl died on the 18th of April, after walking for 150 km amid the nation wide lockdown. Though she died on the 18th of April, the news came into light on the 21st of April.
The deceased was identified as Jamlo Makdam used to work in a field of a village in Telangana and started walking to her home on the 15th of April.
Jamlo was a native of Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh State. Along with Jamlo, eleven other children also started a walk to their native places despite a nation wide lockdown.
Jamlo was just 14 km away from her village when she felt pain in her stomach and collapsed near Bhandarpal village, Bijapur district. She was admitted to a nearby hospital and was extremely dehydrated and malnourished.
B.R. Pujari, the Chief Medical and Health Officer of Bijapur 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. She had a meal on Saturday morning but then complained of stomach ache and uneasiness and died around 10:00 A.M.” Mr. Pujari further added, the girl was tested negative for COVID-19.
The other 11 children who were also with Jamlo are under supervision of the Chhattisgarh Government.
This is not the first time migrant workers tried to walk home amid nation wide lockdown. Many migrants across India, who are left with no work, no money desired to go back to their native villages. However, due to the current situation, the Central Government overlooked their request, stating the movement in bulk to be a threat and would increase the spread of the Coronavirus cases.
India on the 21st of April recorded as many as 18,985 COVID-19 cases and 603 fatalities.
