12-Year-Old Walks 3 Days Amid Lockdown, Dies Just An Hour From Home

A 12-year-old girl died after walking nearly 150 km from Telangana to her native Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh, desperate because of the extended nationwide lockdown to fight coronavirus. Jeeta Madkami, who worked in chilli fields to earn for her family, collapsed and died just an hour away from her village.

The only child of her parents, she had set out on the long journey on April 15, along with eight women and three more children who worked with her at a village in Telangana. The group had walked for three days, cutting through forests to avoid the highway.

Jeeta was around 14 km from home on Saturday afternoon when, after a meal, she felt an excruciating pain in her stomach. Finally, her body was taken to her home in a government ambulance.

Doctors say she was severely dehydrated and malnourished. "Her coronavirus tests came out negative. She may have suffered electrolyte imbalance in her body too," said BR Pujari, senior district medical officer.

The girl's father, Andoram Madkam, said she had been working in Telangana for two months. "She had walked for three days. She suffered from vomiting and stomach ache," he said. Some members of the group said she had not been eating well.

The state government has announced Rs 1 lakh compensation for the girl's family.

Thousands of migrant workers, stuck far from home during the lockdown and left without jobs and shelter, have attempted long journeys on foot out of despair.

The movement of crowds of migrants, which defeated the purpose of lockdown and the critical need for social distancing to avoid COVID-19 infection, was stopped by state governments who promised to look after their food and shelter.

Telangana had also announced Rs 500 and wheat and rice for migrants, but apparently, it didn't reach Jeeta. 

Stories of poor families crammed into tight spaces and surviving on not-so-regular meals have still been emerging from parts of the country. India has 18,601 coronavirus cases; 590 have died.