HYDERABAD: Hundreds of
university and college students
from across the city will hold a protest on Monday against the death of over 300
Dalit and Adivasi children in Malkangiri in Odisha
due to a host of health issues.
Spearheaded by students of
University of Hyderabad
(UoH), where Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula committed suicide in January this year, the protest is aimed at spreading awareness about the living conditions in Malkangiri where a majority children have died due to
Japanese Encephalitis
(JE).
Students have formed a '
Malkangiri Solidarity Network Hyderabad
' to seek justice for the children.
"In the past two months, more than 300 Adivasi-Dalit children have died in Malkangiri and their deaths have remained largely unexplained by the government. The official toll figure stands at 124, but this has been contested by local activists working on the ground. They feel the death toll is three times higher," read a press statement issued by the student group on Sunday.
The protest will be supported by eminent activists G Haragopal, Bharat Bhushan, KY Ratnam, Mallepalli Laxamiah among many others.
"Activists working in the district at the ground level claim that a majority of deaths were caused by malnutrition. Basic necessities like food, healthcare and education are not being provided by the government. The abysmal state of public healthcare and child nutrition in Malkangiri clearly demonstrates the priorities of the Odisha government," said Mrityunjay Pandey, student of UoH and member of the student network.
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