Digaria hamlet yet to come to terms with ‘horror’; people still scared to go out

DIGARIA (CHURU): The loudspeaker atop Ramdevji temple played religious hymns till the dawn in a dusty village of Digaria in Badisar tehsil of Churu on Monday. The jaagran was organized to thank the local deity for the safe return of their men from the ‘death trap’ of a clinical trial administered on them on April 19 at Malpani Hospital in Jaipur.
Unable to recover from the shock their village men were deceived, the villagers are scared to go out of their village for work. From the past three days, they are debating whether to take action against the hospital or to leave the matter blaming the destiny for the incident.

So far, the villagers have not filed any police complaint. The Vishwakarma Police Station in Jaipur is investigating the matter as they have taken the suo motu cognizance based on the news reports.

Lured to get Rs 500 per day for taking care of elderly patients at medical camp in Jaipur, 19 men who had been unemployed for days, could not say no to the agent Sher Singh, who is from the same village. Almost half of the village was ready for the offer but the agent handpicked those who were under 35 years of age. With hope to earn Rs 1,000-1500, these 19 men set out on the journey on April 18 morning, unaware the troubles awaiting them.

Of the 19, only 15 were administered the medicines. In the night on April 19, the remaining four men realised the danger they had got themselves into when they saw the 15 men lying unconscious on the hospital beds. The four men rushed back to their village in fear.

For the next 24 hours the village with has a population of 2,000 people living in 250 households were on toes. Praying, making desperate calls and consoling the families of those left behind in the hospital continues till they got the news that the remaining 15 were released from the hospital and on the way to the village.

An eerie of silence swept the village the next day as nobody wanted to discuss the incident. The movement from the village for work was almost nil on Friday and Saturday.

They have not come in terms of the close escape of their village men, a police jeep from Jaipur knocking the doors of the victims spread fear in the village. It took an hour by the police to convince the victims to come forward and record their testimony.

Sohan Lal, a first-year student, who doubles up as a daily labourer to support his family of five recorded his statement but refused to frame anyone. “Neither I have money nor time to follow up the case. What has happened cannot be undone and it will bring further trouble,” said Sohan, who is living in the constant fear of the possible damage caused by the medicine.

None of the victims underwent any medical test to ascertain the damage caused by the tablet.

Despite their life put in danger, half of them don’t want any police case.

Sawarmal, a construction labourer, is one of the victims was very apprehensive to talk to this correspondent. Being a sole bread winner is under stress after the incident. He is without work from the past two months due to ban on bajri (sand) has left him begging for food.

“It was like an opportunity to repay some money to the general store who has refused to give food grains until I clear the past debt. Police has recorded my statement and I hope that hospital authorities won’t be revengeful,” said Sawarmal, who had a failed crop from the past two years.

The average household income in the village is slight above BPL families making the migration of males for work every household story.

No relief from MLA, sarpanch

The local administration along with MLA of Sujangarh, Khema Ram Meghwal, and sarpanch of Digaria village Ummed Singh has failed to provide any relief to the victims of the clinical trial. Meghwal told TOI on Sunday evening that situation is normal and village sarpanch is continuously briefing him on the victims. “I was told that all villagers are fine,” said the MLA.

Incidentally, the Sarpanch was with the correspondent in the village and refused to have a word with the MLA in the last few weeks. Sarpanch had also come to the village after he was called by the correspondent.

When TOI confronted the MLA, he said that sarpanch had never spoken to him in last few days. Panicked by expose, the MLA spoke to sarpanch for about two minutes. “I will meet the health minister Kalicharan Saraf and will demand justice for him,” said Meghwal. On Monday, Singh visited the village and noted the names of victims and assured them of help.

Agent spills the beans

Agent Sher Singh, who lured villagers for the medical camp in Jaipur, pleaded ignorance. He was missing since April 20 appeared before the villagers on Monday afternoon. Talking to TOI, he said that he can identify the hospital staff, a doctor who admitted of conducting a medical trial on my village men including me.

“I also had the medicine and after 24 hours when I was first waked up by the hospital staff I asked them why they gave us sleeping pills. One staff member told me that they are conducting trial of a medicine on them and it will last for days. I should be ready for the next round of medicine. They will take our blood samples to check the impact of the medicines we are taking,” said Singh.

He protested against the trial and threatened the staff to release all of them from here. Singh was approached by his brother-in-law Bhur Singh to bring some villagers for a medical camp. Singh said that on April 19 hospital staff brought liquor bottles for them which took him by surprise. “I demand a police to probe the case and if they want they can also arrest me for investigation,” said Singh.