BHOPAL: Two weeks after raising concerns on social media over the deaths of tribal children in Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat district, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit the district on October 1 and meet the bereaved families.
More than 30 children from Baiga and Gond tribal families have reportedly died since June-July in several villages of Birsa block, amid concerns over infectious diseases, malnutrition and inadequate access to basic healthcare facilities.
Confirming the proposed visit, Madhya Pradesh Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar said on Tuesday that Gandhi was likely to reach Balaghat on October 1.
“He will meet the bereaved tribal families to understand the reasons that led to so many deaths of children,” Singhar said, alleging that negligence by the state machinery had contributed to the situation.
According to sources in the state Congress, Gandhi is expected to visit the affected villages in the afternoon and spend around two to three hours meeting the families.
The visit would be Gandhi’s second trip to Madhya Pradesh within 12 days. He had attended the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event in Indore on September 19.
Gandhi had earlier raised the issue of the deaths on September 17 through a post on X, drawing attention to the reported deaths of children in the tribal-dominated district and concerns over healthcare and malnutrition.
“More than 30 tribal children have died amid illness, malnutrition, and a lack of basic health facilities. The extent of the callousness is such that innocent lives kept slipping away, yet the response remained sluggish, and the government stayed asleep. Chief Minister ji, if you've found time after lighting lamps and celebrating festivals, take a look at the ground reality in the state,” Gandhi had said in the long post on September 17.
“Lack of disease control, nutrition, and clean water, along with a crumbling health system, is claiming the lives of tiny children. Adulterated medicines and poisonous illegal liquor are devastating hundreds of families. I am heading to Indore and am continuously gathering feedback from students, youth, and common people across the state.”
“The horrific incidents coming to light are revealing that Madhya Pradesh's education system is today the most ruined in the entire country. Students, children, the poor, Dalits, tribals, backward classes, or women—every section is being tormented, no one is happy. The Madhya Pradesh government is today India's most corrupt and most incompetent government—that is the truth,” Gandhi further mentioned in the social media post.
During his proposed October 1 visit, Gandhi is expected to interact with the affected families and gather information about the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Importantly, back on September 12, CJP founder Abhijit Dipke had also visited some of the affected villages and met with affected families. A day later on September 13, Dipke had posted a resignation letter, saying “I resign as MP CM” to make a satirical jibe at the MP CM Dr Mohan Yadav, over the state government’s failure in preventing the deaths of children in Balaghat district.
The reported fatalities have also brought renewed attention to healthcare access, nutrition and disease prevention among tribal communities in the remote areas of Balaghat. The exact causes of the deaths and the role of health and administrative authorities would need to be established through official medical assessments and investigations.
Earlier this month, the Madhya Pradesh High Court had directed the state government to place on record documents related to the deaths of the tribal children in Balaghat district.
The exact toll and medical circumstances surrounding the individual deaths have been the subject of evolving official assessments. A Centre-led investigation has so far reportedly found no single disease or pathogen responsible for the fatalities. Instead, officials have identified a range of clinical conditions, including measles, malaria, co-infections, respiratory distress, dehydration, malnutrition, anaemia and shock.
Health authorities have been conducting surveillance, medical screening, testing, treatment and vaccination drives in the affected and adjoining areas. The response has included mobile medical units, additional healthcare facilities, referral arrangements and outbreak-response immunisation.
The Centre and the Madhya Pradesh government have expanded surveillance and healthcare interventions in vulnerable tribal and the Baiga particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) habitations, with the focus on early detection, timely treatment, immunisation, disease prevention and last-mile healthcare access.