Man dies of hunger in UP, while wife fights for her life

A 28-year-old jobless Dalit man allegedly died of hunger in a village of Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad district on Sunday morning.

Identified as Dharmendra, his wife, Usha Devi too was found fighting for life without a morsel of food in their home.

The district administration, however, instructed action against the local officials and the owner of the fair price shop, which provides government subsidised food to the poor.

Tehsildar Ramkumar Verma, who inspected the couple's home at Dharauta village under Soraon tehsil, after the news of the death, reported that he couldn't find any food in the decrepit house in which the man and his differently-abled wife lived.

He also gave Rs. 1,000 to the family as an immediate relief.

Dharmendra, a local dancer at rural functions did not possess an Aadhar Card which is required to get another card for free and subsidized ration to people living below the poverty line.

In the absence of below poverty line (BPL) and ration cards, he was not able to get food grain from the fair price shop.

It is reported that the family survived on the food provided by the villagers.

But of late, the people have stopped giving them alms, plunging the couple into hunger.