By IANS
Shimla : Kinkri Devi, an illiterate dalit woman who had spearheaded a movement against limestone mining in Himachal Pradesh, died Sunday after a prolonged sickness in a hospital in Chandigarh. She was 82.
Kinkri was born in a poor family in Ghaton village in Sirmaur district in Himachal Pradesh. Disturbed by the large-scale unscientific mining of limestone in Sirmaur hills, she protested against the mining lobby, mobilising local residents.
In 1987, she began a 19-day hunger strike against mining and shot to fame. She also moved a petition in the high court against large-scale damage unscientific mining was causing to the environment in Sirmaur hills, 160 km from here.
The high court ordered shutting down 42 limestone mines in Sirmaur, an order, which is still in force. In 1995, she was honoured with an invitation to inaugurate the International Women’s Conference in Beijing.
Three years later, she was conferred the National Maharani Laksmibai Mahila Shakti Award by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Despite the fame, Kinkri Devi lived in penury.
No representative from the government attended her cremation.