Shahjahanpur (UP), Apr 3 (PTI) A probe has been initiated into the death of an anganwadi worker allegedly due to pressure of SIR-related work in UP’s Shahjahanpur, officials said on Friday.
The inquiry was ordered by City Magistrate Pravendra Kumar after a video surfaced on social media, showing the deceased woman’s daughter alleging harassment by officials and work pressure caused her severe stress and illness.
According to official sources, the deceased, Preeti Shankhwar (42), a resident of the city, was working as an anganwadi worker and had been assigned duty related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). She died on Wednesday while being taken to Lucknow for treatment.
In a widely circulating video, her daughter, seen sitting beside her mother’s body in an ambulance, alleged that her mother was subjected to undue pressure despite being in a low-paying job.
She claimed that apart from SIR duty, her mother was also made to perform departmental work and was reprimanded by the district programme officer when she approached him.
The daughter further alleged that the remarks made by officials caused her mother severe stress, leading to illness and eventually her death during treatment. She accused authorities of making her mother’s life “miserable”.
City Magistrate Pravendra Kumar told PTI that an inquiry into the matter is underway. Based on preliminary information, he said that the SIR-related workload had significantly reduced and that no payments of the deceased were pending.
He added that the woman had been unwell and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital before being admitted to the district hospital, from where she was referred to Lucknow.
District Programme Officer Arvind Rastogi denied the allegations of harassment and misconduct, calling them baseless. He also said that no dues of the deceased were pending and that SIR-related work had already reduced considerably about a fortnight ago.
Further investigation is in progress, officials said. PTI COR KIS SKY SKY
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