Mangaluru: Dr Ravindranath Shanbhag, President, Human Rights Protection Foundation, Udupi, has refused to accept the Karnataka Kannada Rajyotsava Award saying that he can only enjoy the privilege of getting an award only when he has wiped the tears of the last of the aggrieved.

“For what do I have to accept the Rajyotsava Award? I’m grateful to the government for identifying my service. But my service has not reached sufficient aggrieved people and they fight or await justice. I get hundreds of senior citizens at my door steps with tears in their eyes every day. The concerned higher officials and ministers turn a blind eye to my letters regarding this matter and a deaf year to their cries. Eight senior citizens have already left this world in despair without justice. Is it not an insult to these deprived souls if I accept such an award,” he questioned.

“It’s not important as to how much of social service I have done. What is important is how many of them have got justice. Senior citizens from all over the state are approaching me. They hold my hand and pray for help with tears in their eyes. The Government passed the law for the protection of senior citizens and it has gone down the drain,” he noted. Pointing out at trafficking, he said girls and women are trafficked every other day. “We wrote a series of letters to the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada District KJ Jagadish regarding this matter without any response. When we approached him personally neither did he have the minimum courtesy to hear out the matter nor did we get any solution to the matter. The illegal agents continue their activities and our girls are still getting trafficked,” he said.

“When these officials lack basic etiquettes to talk to citizens how can social activists like us work with success? Why should we get insulted? When endosulfan victims are begging on the streets and senior citizens continue to shed tears will it bring a smile on their faces by my mere acceptance of an award,” he questioned again.

On Endosulfan, he said over 8,000 endusulfan victims in the West Coastal districts are still deprived of the anticipated justice. The health centres at Udupi have failed to even register hundreds of aggrieved victims, let alone grant them monthly pensions, he said adding that no day care centre or rehabilitation centre have been set up for nursing these children. “The children have resorted to committing suicide in desperation and helplessness and we had to watch them with our hands tied. When we approached the previous Deputy Commissioner of Udupi, Vishal, he remarked, “We know what to do, it is not any of your business,” Dr Shanbhag said.

He remarked that he has no intention of getting publicity by refusing the award nor is he doing this (social service) for name. “I do not mean to disrespect or dishonor this award. However I wish and hope that this small gesture opens the eyes of the authorities and create awareness, if at all,” he added.