The 2007 West Bengal food riots took place in
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
over shortage of food and widespread
corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
in the
public distribution system
The Public Distribution System (PDS) is an Indian food security system that was established by the Government of India under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution to distribute food and non-food items to India's poor a ...
. The riots first happened in
Burdwan
Bardhaman (, ) is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Purba Bardhaman district, having become a district capital during the period of British rule. Burdwan, an alternative name for the city, ...
,
Bankura
Bankura () is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura district.
Etymology
In the Mahabharata, Bankura was described as Suhmobhumi. The word or (in Nagari: rāḍh) was introduced af ...
, and
Birbhum
Birbhum district () is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the northernmost district of Burdwan division—one of the five administrative divisions of West Bengal. The district headquarters is in Suri. Other impor ...
districts but later spread to other districts. The riots started on 16 September 2007 in
Radhamohanpur village in Bankura district.
Three villagers were shot dead and more than 300 villagers were injured in riots. At least three ration distributors committed suicide. The
State Government
A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...
suspended 113 dealers and served
show cause
Show or The Show may refer to:
Competition, event, or artistic production
* Agricultural show, associated with agriculture and animal husbandry
* Animal show, a judged event in the hobby of animal fancy
** Cat show
** Dog show
** Horse show
** Sp ...
notices to 37 food inspectors. A
Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...
appointed committee has found wide-spread corruption to be the root cause of the riots.
Causes
India had a
public distribution system
The Public Distribution System (PDS) is an Indian food security system that was established by the Government of India under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution to distribute food and non-food items to India's poor a ...
that was used to distribute food grains to poor people at affordable prices fixed by the government. These food grains are distributed through Ration Shops, to card-holders. Many of these ration shop dealers were also Rice Mill owners, able to control the entire chain of supply. In 2007-08 a worldwide phenomenon of
increasing food prices motivated some of the dealers to sell quality food grains in open market while inferior quality grain was distributed through the ration shops. At the same time, a move by the state government to exclude some of the families above poverty line from the PDS system. Faced with increasing food prices, this led to increasing discontent among the masses.
In many places, the houses of local PDS dealers were set on fire and looted in many instances. The threat of violence and public humiliation also led to a few PDS dealers committing suicide. The riots originated from Bankura district in the latter half of the year, soon spreading across many other districts in the state.
A report by the commission appointed by the
Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...
found that wide spread corruption and diversion of superior quality food grains caused the riots. The report said studies conducted by the government had shown that 34.9% of rice and 86.6% of wheat meant for PDS got diverted, while 83% of wheat meant for below poverty line people and 60% of rice (the essential diet of the poorest of the BPL families) also got stolen.
See also
*
List of food riots
The following is a list of food riots.
Food riots
17th century
* Salt riot, also known as the Moscow Uprising of 1648, started because of the government's replacement of different taxes with a universal salt tax for the purpose of replenishing t ...
References
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*https://web.archive.org/web/20081013082930/http://www.centralchronicle.com/20071205/0512303.htm
*http://www.samachaar.in/West_Bengal/Food_riots_continue_in_south_Bengal_5670/{{Dead link, date=September 2018 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes
Food riots
West Bengal Food Riots, 2007
Riots and civil disorder in India
West Bengal Food Riots, 2007
Economic history of India
2000s in West Bengal
September 2007 events in India