SASARAM, May 23 -- A 60-year-old Mahadalit woman -- the most backward among scheduled caste -- attempted self-immolation with her four minor grandchildren in front of the Kargahar Block Office in Rohtas district on Thursday. As soon as the woman poured kerosene on everyone, timely intervention by villagers who were at the office for their own administrative work saved the lives of the woman and the children. Nobody was injured in the incident. The woman, identified as Suhagini, was incensed because of being denied benefits meant for her deceased son and his widow, leaving behind four orphans. Her son, Pappu Musahar, 27, died from electrocution on October 20, 2024. Her daughter-in-law Puja also passed away while delivering her fourth child ten days later on October 30. Both times, she approached the Panchayat Sevak to claim the Rs. 3,000 ex-gratia provided under the Kabir Antyeshti Yojana and Rs.20,000 under the Pariwarik Labh Yojana (Family Benefit Scheme). As she did not receive the funds, the elderly woman could not even arrange shrouds for the dead, locals said. She had to wrap the bodies in old sarees for cremation. She also could not get the Rs.4 lakh compensation provided following the untimely death of a household's primary earning member. The woman, a native of Amavalia village has not been able to feed her four grandchildren and so she came to the block office to end lives of all her remaining family members, she said. Her village is just 4-km away from the block office. She said that she, accompanied by her grandchildren, has exhausted herself running from block-level offices to district headquarters in a desperate search for aid. But, she said, has been paying heed to her desperate pleas. Receiving eight kilograms of ration per month, she survives solely by taking her hungry, half-naked grandchildren door-to-door to beg, she said. When the woman attempted the collective immolation within the block office premises, the Block Development Officer (BDO) and other officials were present in their offices. Instead of rushing to save her, the staff members merely stood by and recorded videos of the incident, witnesses said. It was left to villagers who had arrived at the office for their own administrative work, to intervene and, after a strenuous struggle, save the lives of the woman and the children. This incident occurred despite the fact that, on April 3, the woman had submitted a written application to the BDO making a final, desperate appeal for assistance, warning that she would resort to self-immolation if her pleas went unanswered. Copies of the applications given by the woman to BDO Kargahar and DM Rohtas are with HT. Kargahar BDO Ajit Kumar said that a sum of Rs.3,000, under the Kabir Antyeshti Yojana, was handed over to the woman on Thursday. However, shortly thereafter, she returned the money, asserting that she required Rs.30 lakh in compensation. He further said that the woman's name has been selected under the housing scheme, and arrangements are being made to enrol her in the Antyodaya Scheme to provide her with 35 kilograms of monthly ration. Children over the age of five would be entitled to benefits under the Parvarish Scheme, administered through the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), the official added. Responding to inquiries regarding the provision of Rs.4 lakh in compensation to the deceased dependents under the Apada Rahat Yojana, the BDO said that the cause of death has not been officially recorded anywhere, nor was a post-mortem examination conducted on the body. In such circumstances, it is not possible to extend the benefits of the said scheme, he added. Superintendent of Police Raushan Kumar said that the police had not registered any case against the woman....