Assam: 50-year-old Rebati Pegu from Laika Dadhiya village dies after protesting for 10 days in Tinsukia

TINSUKIA: The death of a woman protester at a makeshift camp close to the Deputy Commissioner's office in Assam's Tinsukia has triggered tensions. The woman was a part of a group of protesters camped in Lejaihola who hail from the flood-prone Mishing-majority Laika Dadhiya village and are demanding rehabilitation from the Government.

Rebati Pegu, a 50-year-old woman who had joined the protesters seeking rehabilitation, yesterday fell severely ill. She was consequently shifted to her village, where she breathed her last. Earlier today, another woman from Laika Dadhiya who has fallen sick at the protest site, was shifted to a hospital. Altogether, around 10 people have fallen sick at the protest site, which is being continually battered by wintry winds.

"We have been ignored throughout this period. We have been urging the DC to send a medical team. Had they sent a team, this would not have happened. Yesterday, the 50-year-old woman succumbed to death after returning to her village. Today also, our requests for a 108 vehicle were rejected," a protester told media persons, lamenting the Government's "negligence."

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Meanwhile, the protesters have condemned Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for not hearing the pleas of the protesters. At the same time, they have sought the removal of Bhaskar Pegu as the Deputy Commissioner of the district. "Are we being ignored because we belong to the Mishing community? I condemn Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for overlooking our woes."

A woman protester told media persons that they are suffering due to the double whammy of cold and hunger. "We have not had two square meals during this period. The Government, meanwhile, has turned a blind eye towards us. The Government will have to rehabilitate us -- no matter what happens now, we refuse to budge from this spot and give up outr demand," she said.

For 10 days now, 14 families from the flood-prone village had camped out on Government land in demand for rehabilitation, only to have their pleas fall on deaf ears.

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