Bankura (Bengal): Baidyanath Dasmodak, a 65-year-old resident of Kumidda village in the Bankura-I block of Bengal’s Bankura district, died on August 2 after prolonged illness. According to villagers and family members, he was suffering from chronic malnutrition and starvation and had been struggling for years to access government benefits, but was consistently denied assistance due to the absence of an Aadhaar card.The adults of Baidyanath’s family – 63-year-old wife Kalpana, son Somnath, daughter-in-law Pinki, and two young grandchildren, Sandip (10) and Mangala (four) – said that all five of them are also suffering from malnutrition. None of them possess an Aadhaar card, which has effectively cut them off from essential government schemes, including rations under the Public Distribution System (PDS), old-age pension, and the state government’s Lakshmir Bhandar scheme.“The family has no Aadhaar cards. That means they are excluded from every form of government welfare,” said Chiranjib Goswami, a resident of the same village. He added that the local Gram Suraksha Committee had tried to help the villagers intermittently by giving them rice, puffed rice, and vegetables, but the support was irregular and insufficient. “Most people in this village are poor. They cannot afford to help others daily,” Goswami added.Baidyanath had once worked as a sweetmaker in a local shop, earning meagre wages. According to neighbours, the pay he received was never enough to get him the level of nutrition that could sustain the physical labour his job demanded. “Malnutrition had gripped his body. He became ill and had to stop working. That’s when the extreme hardship began,” said Kalpana Patra, a neighbour.“If someone does not get the minimum required food for a long time, their body can develop multiple diseases, including tuberculosis, in addition to neurological problems, reduction of haemoglobin, and so on. A patient like this does not recover as others would do with medicine,” says Dr Ayan Midya, assistant professor of the medicine department at the Arambagh Medical College and Hospital.Also read: No Jobs, Healthcare and No PM-JANMAN Scheme: Bengal’s Lodha Shabar Tribes Are Dying of StarvationDespite his deteriorating health, Baidyanath regularly travelled 12 kilometres to the Bankura Head Post Office, often standing in line from midnight, in the hope of obtaining an Aadhaar card. Yet, he could not secure one.Manasi Chatterjee, the elected CPI(M) panchayat member of the booth area that includes Kumidda, attested to the claim that Baidyanath had repeatedly applied for both Aadhaar and ration cards. His applications were forwarded by Bankura-I Block officials to the Aadharthol Gram Panchayat for action. However, no steps were taken. She alleged that although the panchayat’s pradhan is from the Bharatiya Janata Party, the local governance is effectively run by the Trinamool Congress. “Since the CPI(M) won this booth, the panchayat has been ignoring all related issues,” she said. “I raised Baidyanath’s case in multiple panchayat meetings – his need for Aadhaar, ration, and social security schemes. But nothing was ever done.”When this reporter visited the Dasmodak household on August 2, their home was partially submerged due to the recent rains. Baidyanath had received an Indira Awas Yojana house over two decades ago, but the hut structure is now in a dilapidated condition. Despite the risk, five family members continue to live there.Kalpana. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.Kalpana, his widow, is frail and has a fractured waist and is unable to walk or access medical treatment. “My husband died of hunger. We never received rations. He was suffering from ailments in his chest, stomach, and neck,” she said. “He was once admitted to Bankura Medical College Hospital, but we couldn’t afford the prescribed medicines. What should we choose, food or medicine?”Somnath, their 35-year-old son, said he works occasionally as a land labourer but has no steady employment. “If the 100-days job scheme (MGNREGA) was still functional here, I could have found some work to sustain my family. Now we are on the brink. One day, we too will die like my father.”Also read: ‘Erasure’, ‘Unprecedented’ Says Opposition as Govt Omits Bengal from MGNREGA Data in ParliamentHe appealed to the government to intervene immediately: “We need Aadhaar cards, ration cards, old-age pension for my mother, and a habitable house.”Somnath’s wife, Pinki, said their son Sandip studies in Class V and daughter Mangala attends the Anganwadi centre. “They eat the midday meal at school and Anganwadi and that’s their only proper meal in a day. If school is closed, they go hungry. We manage food only if someone in the house finds work for a day,” she said.When The Wire attempted to contact Rituparna Chatterjee, the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Bankura-I block, she responded by stating that she would look into the matter and take necessary action.A procession on Monday afternoon by the All India Khet Mazdoor Union (affiliated to the CPIM) at Bankura Block 1. They submitted a demand to the Bankura Block 1 BDO to ensure the deceased family gets work and arrange for an Aadhaar card and ration card immediately. Photo: By arrangement.On the morning of August 4, the All India Khet Mazdoor Union submitted a deputation at the Bankura-I Block office, demanding that Baidyanath’s family be immediately enrolled in all applicable social security schemes and be issued both ration and Aadhaar cards. Somnath, the son of the deceased, was also present during the deputation.Commenting on the incident, former professor of economics of Bankura Sammilani College Pratip Mukherjee said, “While our chief minister claims that Jangalmahal is smiling with joy, here in the same state, a man dies of starvation in the 21st century. This is a stark reminder of the deep-rooted misery that millions in India continue to endure even today.”This case paints a grim picture of how the lack of documentation – particularly Aadhaar – can leave the most vulnerable outside the social safety net, with life-and-death consequences. A day ago, August 6, BDO Chatterjee said that Baidyanath’s family has been given rice and some clothes. “The administration is taking steps to get them Aadhaar and ration cards,” she said.