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In Assam, 12 tea estate workers die of starvation

The deaths were reported from the Bhuban Valley Tea Estate in Cachar district.

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At least 12 workers have died of starvation in an Assam tea estate in the last four months when it remained closed following a strike. However, the authorities claim that the deaths were ‘natural’.

The deaths were reported from the Bhuban Valley Tea Estate in Cachar district. In October last year, the garden was shut down in the wake of a strike by the workers over demands for unpaid wages, provident fund benefits and ration. The garden was reopened early this month after the management seemingly committed to resolve the matter.

Located in Assam’s Barak Valley, the garden, has 980 workers — 480 of them permanent staff. It has a population of over 2,000 people but it lacks basic amenities.

“The 12 of them died during the lockout because they had nothing to eat,” People’s Rights Forum (PRF), a rights watchdog, claimed.

“The garden is in a shambles. The workers have been deprived of basic amenities for years together,” PRF convenor Raju Narzary said.

“The workers have been exploited throughout. A worker gets wages of Rs 85 a day in West Bengal. But here, it is only Rs51. Even their PF amount was not deposited,” Wilfred Topno, president of Adivasi Sahitya Sabha, said.

During the lockout, the workers were forced to work in adjoining tea gardens for wages ranging from Rs 30 to Rs.40 only, Topno said.

The government is probing the matter through the deputy commissioner of Cachar. But the PRF says ‘the person who is liable to be prosecuted is heading the probe. So, one can guess the outcome”.

“We’ll move the high court if government fails to deliver,” it warned.

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