HUBBALLI: A woman consumed poison in front of the union minister and local MP Pralhad Joshi’s house in Hubballi on Tuesday. She has been admitted to KIMS Hospital in the city where she is battling to survive.
Shridevi Veerappa Kammar lives with her ailing husband and two children at Garag village in Dharwad taluk. Her house collapsed last year but only got Rs 50,000 compensation which was not sufficient to repair the damages. Demanding more compensation she tried to meet MP Joshi and Dharwad rural MLA Amrut Desai several times, but failed.
Before consuming poison, she wrote a death note narrating her story. She could not meet Joshi in Hubballi despite trying for the last 5-6 months, the letter said. Even though she travelled to New Delhi to meet him, Shridevi was denied permission due to an ongoing parliament session.
When she contacted MLA Amrut Desai, he did not respond and asked her to meet MP. Finally, on Tuesday afternoon, she prepared a death note and visited Joshi’s house at Mayur Estate in the city. She consumed poison and approached the minister.
Veerappa Kammar, the victim’s husband said she consumed poison without alerting the family and asked Joshi to help her after revealing that she has consumed poison. The minister allegedly asked his staff to send her out and the police arranged an ambulance to shift her to KIMS hospital.
She is undergoing treatment at KIMS hospital and said to be critical. However, the case is not yet registered in the police station till late evening.
Meanwhile, Dharwad tahsildar has issued a press note saying Kammar's house partially collapsed (less than 25 per cent) and comes under 'C' category compensation. The government has announced Rs 50,000 as compensation to the Kammar family.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)