THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Withdrawing his remark that people seeking intoxication get their tongues bitten by vipers, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday acknowledged that the claim was factually incorrect and accepted the correction pointed out by Dr Shimna Azeez.
In a social media post, Chennithala said his statement identifying the viper as the species used in such practices was not based on facts. The remark had been made while referring to reports of people attempting to use venomous snake bites to experience intoxication. Dr Shimna had pointed out that the viper’s venom primarily affects the blood and does not act on the nervous system.
Therefore, it does not produce an intoxicating sensation or hallucinatory effect. She added that those attempting such dangerous practices reportedly use highly venomous snakes such as cobras and kraits, although bites from those species carry an extremely high risk of death.
Following the clarification, Chennithala withdrew the statement, accepted the correction, and thanked Dr Azeez for pointing out the factual error. He also extended a heartfelt invitation to her to join the state’s anti-drug campaign as a ‘Toofan Warrior.’