Jyoti Kadam, from Morena in Madhya Pradesh, is part of Video Volunteers' campaign #KhelBadal to dismantle patriarchy. The campaign is taking on patriarchy through stories of women and men who face, negotiate and challenge patriarchy in everyday life — at home, at work, at school, in cultural and public spaces. Under the campaign, she makes films that capture the nuances of routine,…

Jyoti Kadam

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Suman Khatik, an Anganwadi worker from Madhya Pradesh's Morena district, passed away after taking the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine. She was the only earning member of a family of five. The family alleges that she was forced to take the second dose of the vaccine despite being ill.

"My mother was keeping ill due to excessive work carrying out door to door survey as a Coronawarrior. Despite being in poor health, she was forced to take the vaccine or resign," said Akash Khatik, the deceased's son.

The night Suman took the jab, she started feeling unwell. The family was advised to give her Paracetamol. But her condition didn't improve and she was shifted to the local public health centre (PHC) next afternoon. All this while no official or medical staff from the administration visited her despite reporting that she was unwell.

At the local PHC, there were no doctors when the family arrived. They waited for 15 minutes before they were attended to. By the time they arrived, she had already expired.

The family demands compensation and an appointment on compassionate grounds. Our Community Correspondent Jyoti Kadam along with a labour rights organisation submitted an application to Narendra Singh Tomar, who is a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Morena constituency and also the Union Agriculture Minister. The family has also approached the local District Collector, Women and Child Welfare Department, the local Tehsildar as well as the Sub-divisional magistrate. However, they still haven't received any relief.