Dr Y S Mohan Kumar, who appeared in an episode of TV show Satyamev Jayate hosted by Aamir Khan that dealt with the harmful and long-term effects of pesticides, has received a legal notice from the Mumbai-based company United Phosphorus Ltd for ‘exaggerated presentation of the endosulfan issue’.
In the episode which went on air on June 24, Mohan Kumar had recounted his experience working as a doctor in Swarga in Enmakaje panchayat.
According to him, two other doctors, Dr Rashmi Sanghi and Dr Kavitha, also received similar notices.
He had said that an abnormally large number of people in the area were suffering from chronic illnesses. About 5,000 people were affected while children suffered from grievous malformations, cancers and deformities.
As per the notice, the statement by Mohan Kumar that ‘residues of endosulfan caused more than 50,000 miscarriages, deformities and mental retarded children’ is an exaggeration of the issue.
The notice alleged that the claims made by the doctor on the TV show were false and there was no evidence to prove them. The notice also asked the doctor for clarification and apology for making such false claims.
However, Dr Mohan Kumar said that the allegations in the notice were not correct. “The notice quotes me saying as there were 50,000 miscarriages in the district due to the ill-effects of the pesticide. Though I talked about miscarriages, I did not mention any fixed number,” he said, and added that he stuck to his stance.
This is the third legal notice being issued to Dr Mohan Kumar in connection with his efforts to bring forward the issues faced by endosulfan victims.
In 1990, Mohan Kumar prepared a list of 50 patients and sent it to a senior psychiatrist in Karnataka. The number of victims then rose to 120. Later in 2000, he, along with renowned freelance journalist Shree Padre, brought the endosulfan tragedy to light.
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