With the recent deaths of two tribals at Kashipur block of Rayagada district allegedly after eating mango kernel, Odisha SC and ST Development Minister L B Himirika today said no one dies due to consumption of mango kernel.
"No one dies for eating mango kernel. It is edible. The persons who died in Kashipur block may have died of some other disease like malaria," said Himirika, himself a tribal.
Rayagada district Collector Guha Poonam Tapas Kumar also supported the minister.
"The people of Kashipur used to eat mango kernel. As eating something stale causes infection, the people might have died by consuming stale or infected mango kernel," Kumar said.
A 12-year-old child and and an elderly man of Sipijodi village in Kashipur block died last week and locals claimed they died due to eating mango kernel. At least 10 people were admitted at hospital after developing diarrhoea.
Kashipur was in the news in 2001 when about 24 people died after consuming mango kernel gruel. The block had also come under scanner after starvation death allegations were reported in 1997.
The minister admitted that people of Kashipur suffer as they do not have elected sarpanch or zilla parishad members as they had boycotted panchayat polls in 2012 demanding inclusion of Jhodia community under the tribal list.
The villagers, however, claimed they are forced to eat mango kernel as adequate food grains are not available to them.
Opposition Congress blamed the BJD government for the death of two tribal persons in Kashipur and demonstrated in front of the office of the Rayagada District Collector yesterday.
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