Daya Bai, a renowned social activist, launched an indefinite satyagraha to demand justice for the victims of endo-sulfan pesticide on October 2, the International Day of Non Violence and the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The use of endosulfan pesticide has killed hundreds of people and maimed and deva-stated the lives of thousands living in and around cashew nut plantations in the Kasargod district of the southern Indian state of Kerala.
Daya Bhai, who is in her 80s, sat on hunger strike in front of the Kerala state secretariat in the Kerala capital of Thiruvananthapuram. Around five of her supporters have also joined the protest.
They have demanded the federal government to consider building an All India Institute of Medical Science in Kasargod to provide medical treatment to the victims, for scientific research to assess the physical and mental deficiencies of the victims.