BALANGIR: A 65-year-old woman of Mahimunda village under Puintala block in the district was found dead in her house on Tuesday. Villagers alleged hunger as the reason behind her death.
The woman, Bhagabati Kunar, was living alone after her son left for Chennai to work as a migrant labourer. Due to old age, she was unable to work and went without food for around three days.
Though she was a holder of Antodaya card, her name was rejected during the last survey for National Food Security Act and she was denied a ration card. Villagers said Kunar was going through hard times after she was denied ration card and had to stay without food on several occasions.
Puintala BDO Yudhistir Nayak, refuting the charge of hunger death, said the administration regularly supplied her rice.
Contradicting Nayak’s claims, villagers said only after the news of her distress condition spread a day back, the local administration hurriedly rushed some assistance to her, but it was too late.