Jamshedpur, April 13: Death finally had mercy on Dilip Machua. He had pleaded to the President of India to either arrange for his treatment or sanction euthanasia early this week.

But before the President could reply, Machua breathed his last. The 30-year-old daily wager from Sopodera Bustee under Parsudih police station died at the Mahatma Gandhi Medical (MGM) College and Hospital today.

Machua, who was in the news after his mercy death plea to President Pratibha Patil on April 4, died at 3am today after his health deteriorated following a severe accident a few months ago.

Machua had been given blood and kept on saline for the past two days. He is survived by his mother, wife and two daughters aged three and five. He was cremated in the afternoon.

“The accident was so serious that it broke his spinal chord. The lower part of his body (from waist) had become paralysed due to a split in the vein,” said Ram Singh Munda, the general secretary of Helpless People Services Forum, a city NGO that was helping him.

In his letter to the President Machua had written: “I am dying every minute and my helplessness is making life hell for my mother and my daughters. They have been left to die with me. I earnestly request that you grant me the money needed for treatment or else allow me to end my life. I also request that the government adopts my daughters once I am gone.”

A copy of the letter was sent to Governor Syed Sibtey Razi, chief minister Madhu Koda, health minister Bhanu Pratap Sahi and the minister of land reforms and revenue, Dulal Bhuiyan.

Admitted to the MGM, he was taken to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences in Ranchi for a few days. He was shifted to MGM again on April 10. Doctors had referred him to All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi or Christian Medical College, Vellore.

“It would have meant a cost of over Rs 2 lakh, which we were in the process of arranging. We had already arranged for about Rs 10,000 and were waiting for more funds,” said Munda. The NGO has decided to demand a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for Machua’s family.