HC Deb 16 December 1943 vol 395 cc1664-5
17. Mr. Sorensen

asked the Secretary o[...] State for India whether the Benga[...] Government have supplied to the Central Government or have published information respecting deaths through starvation the number taken to hospital or medically treated for conditions arising through malnutrition and the number of cases of cholera and the deaths from this during the past six months?

Mr. Amery

As I informed the hon. Member on 2nd December, figures of famine deaths for the whole of Bengal are not available. Figures for Calcutta for the period 16th August to 11th December, 1943, are as follows:—Admissions to hospital of starving persons 16,285. Deaths among such admissions 6,156. In addition, during the period 1st August to 11th December, the number of bodies disposed of by police or non-official relief organisations in Calcutta was 9,216, but this total may include some deaths not due to starvation. The total number of deaths from cholera in the whole of the Bengal Presidency between 27th June and 13th November was 77,938.

Mr. Sorensen

Has the right hon. Gentleman seen the statement issued allegedly by the Bengal Public Health Department that the total number of deaths directly or indirectly attributable to starvation is round about 150,000 in Bengal?

Mr. Amery

I can only go by the figures I receive from the Central Government of India, which in turn receives its figures from the Bengal Government.