The villagers of Lalau village in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, have yet to come to terms with the deaths of 15 people in the last month, so the lanes are deserted for the majority of the day. The village’s health department sub-center is seldom available. Villagers are avoiding Covid-19 testing and medication because they are afraid of the recent deaths. Just 20% of people have been vaccinated, according to a preliminary survey.
“From April 17 to May 5, 15 people died, but the cause of death is unknown. On May 7, the health department’s screening team arrived, and two individuals were found to be Covid positive. They’re in home confinement,” said Aman Chahar, an Agra student and district secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union.
In the village, he said, only 20 to 25% of people had been inoculated against Covid-19.
Lalau is a gram panchayat in the Agra district, about 12 kilometers from the capital. It is part of the Akola block.
Lalau, which also includes Laxmipur, a smaller village or majra, has a population of around 6,000 people, with an equal number of Jats and Dalits, as well as a few members of the backward Baghel caste.
The village has a primary and junior high school that educates students up to the eighth grade, and those interested in continuing their education will go to Akola, Malpura, or Agra. The village has a literacy rate of 40%, and the majority of the residents, mostly Dalits, work as laborers in local shoe factories or in Agra city, while Jats work as farmers and labourers.
Marghati is a place in the village where the deceased is cremated on gram panchayat soil. Following the panchayat polls on April 15, ‘Marghati’ became a famous gathering spot as villagers cremated about 15 people, including youngsters, who had died prematurely.
“After too many deaths, there was no sanitization campaign, and village youths raised money on their own to carry out sanitization,” Chahar said.
“The health department’s sub-center opens only on special occasions, including when newborns are to be vaccinated. Otherwise, it is locked for the majority of the year,” Omkar Chahar (39), a villager, complained.
“On April 15, at least 15 people died as a result of panchayat votes. There was no known cause for these deaths, but the majority of those who died had a fever, and some even had breathlessness. They did not, however, get screened for Covid-19 or any other disease,” Omkar Chahar said.
“We’ve never seen so many people die in such a brief period of time. “Despite the fact that no public representative or official came here,” as concerned Omkar said.
