Two tea garden labourers died at Bagrakot in Malbazar area of Jalpaiguri district today with the authorities stating they perished due to normal sickness.
However, the leader of Tea Garden Coordination Joint Forum Ziaul Alam claimed both Rajkumar Tamang (58) and Sushma Tikka (31) died of lack of medical treatment since work stopped in their plantation for nine months and they did not get wages.
The respective families also claimed they ran out of money for months and no treatment of the deceased were possible.
Meanwhile, when contacted a district official said both had been suffering from normal ailments and the deaths at their homes were from ailments and not "starvation-related."
Tea garden forum sources said 36 plantation workers had died in past nine months in Jalpaiguri, Dooars belt for lack of medical treatment due to defunct situation in a number of plantations in the belt.
However, the district official said no such deaths had taken place and the workers were entitled to ration benefits.
