Kasargod: Peoples' Front activist A Mohan Kumar was arrested and shifted to hospital as his health condition started deteriorating on the thirteenth day of his indefinite hunger strike seeking effective and swift relief and rehabilitation for hundreds of endosulfan victims and their families.
Mohan Kumar has been on hunger strike since February 18. The activists had earlier resisted an attempt by the police to arrest him.
Hundreds of persons, who have been victims of aerial spraying of endosulfan in the cashew plantations in the district in the 1990s, have been struggling to get their demands for compensation met by the government since then.
The Front wants the government to withdraw the order issued by Health department last year stating that the rehabilitation scheme for victims would be completed within five years.
They also demand proper implementation of the package announced by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in 2010 for endosulfan victims.
Only 1,613 persons had so far been provided financial assistance from among a list of 4,182 victims identified by NHRC, E Unnikrishnan, an activist, said, adding that there was also a move to truncate the list.