Fighting a gram panchayat election proved costly for 32-year-old Shashikala. The Dalit woman and mother of two from a BPL family was ultimately forced to sell her kidney for Rs. 3 lakh to repay the debt she incurred in her unsuccessful poll campaign.
A weak Shashikala at the Magadi government hospital told The Hindu that her cup of woes overflowed in 2012 when she contested the Taggikuppe Gram Panchayat elections and lost by just two votes. She claimed to have incurred a debt of Rs. 7 lakh towards election expenses.
Shashikala recently shifted out of the Nagashettyhalli village with her husband Venkatesh to Peenya in the city where they were working as construction labourers.
“Srinivas, a cloth merchant in Cubbon Pet, had financed my election expenses. When he said his mother was unwell and needed a kidney, I agreed to donate one of mine, for which Srinivas paid me Rs. 3 lakh that I used to settle most of my debt,” Shashikala claimed.
But her answers on how she knew Srinivas were vague. She claimed to have met him at a nearby temple three years ago. However, initial investigation by the police has pointed the presence of a tout, who may have facilitated the meeting between Srinivas and Shashikala. Police also confirmed that she had repaid a part of her loans using the money she received for donating a kidney.
Shashikala was also anxious about her husband, who had a bitter tiff with her last week over the kidney transplant issue and walked out on her. Weeping, she said, “He did not know of the donation. He was upset after the family slipped into debt trap.”
A deserted house
Bengaluru: Shashikala’s one-room kacha house in Nagashettyhalli was deserted when The Hindu visited the village on Thursday. Though the unplastered mud brick house did not have flooring, it had a new double cot and a television set with a dish connection.
Her two sons Surendra Kumar (12) and Suresh Kumar (9) were loitering around the village after having lunch with their neighbours. “My mother fell ill and she is in the hospital. Appa came home last week, quarrelled with her and went out in a huff. I do not know his mobile number but I want to speak to him,” said young Suresh, pleading with the neighbours to take him to his mother.
