In a show of solidarity to the 82-year-old activist, various organizations, including the Daya Bai Hunger Strike Protest Committee, will observe a black day on October 10 demanding immediate government action. Also, a slew of programmes will be held along with the protests in Kasaragod district on Monday.
Actor Alencier Ley presents a one-act play in solidarity with Daya Bai
Daya Bai, who had begun the fast on October 2, was shifted to the hospital by the police on October 4. However, after she was discharged from hospital on Friday, she resumed her satyagraha along with five associates before the Secretariat. “They forcefully shifted me to the hospital. They have no right to do so. The government is not concerned about the plight of endosulfan victims, who have been living in poor health conditions for all these years. But they were concerned about my health,” she said.
The activist’s main demand is that the government should set up an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Kasaragod to treat endosulfan victims. She wants care centres to be set up in all panchayats and municipalities of Kasaragod, to provide home care for bedridden patients, physically and mentally-challenged victims of this pesticide. Regular medical camps for victims and also completing the construction of the medical college in Kasaragod are other demands.
The Youth Congress district committee in Kasaragod will take out a protest march to the RDO office on Monday.
The AIIMS for Kasaragod Collective will hold a protest march and will light flames of protests at the Kanhangad Smrithi Mandapam. Nasar Charkalam, general secretary of the collective, hit out at the state government’s apathy despite the octogenarian social activist sitting on hunger strike for eight days.
Nasar said that AIIMS should be set up in Kasaragod itself considering the healthcare challenges faced by the district, including the plight of thousands of endosulfan victims.
On Sunday, film actor Alencier Ley Lopez came out in support of Daya Bai‘s indefinite fast. “She is agitating for the victims of the pesticide which has put the lives of thousands of people in misery. Hope this strike will open the eyes of our rulers and bring out a solution for the healthcare needs of the victims,” he said.