KOPPAL : Superstition has claimed the life of a seven-month-old baby at a village in Koppal district. The baby’s mother was arrested for allegedly killing the baby in the name of a blind belief.
During the postmortem, doctors found that the child was allegedly poisoned. It was reported that the child was sick from November and the mother visited many hospitals but in vain. Hence, the mother opted to perform puja for the baby’s health and some people told her that the baby should be burnt with incense sticks to come out of the ‘sin’, but the baby died after the practice.
The incident happened at a village near Kanakagiri town of Koppal district a few days ago and came to light after the Child Protection Cell officer filed a case against the mother of the deceased baby. There are many people in rural areas who still follow blind beliefs even today. Some villagers go for ‘burning treatments’ for liver and other stomach related diseases in these rural parts.
District administration and health officials have warned them that such beliefs will end in tragedy but still such incidents happen again and again.
When the mother tried an incense stick burning method to treat the baby for a few days, the baby fell ill and was admitted to Koppal government hospital. The baby died later when it failed to respond to the treatment.
When the doctors performed a postmortem, they came to know that it was due to poison. Koppal District Health and Family Welfare officer Dr T Lingaraju informed the Child Protection Cell and told them to file an FIR against the baby’s mother.An official from the Koppal Child Protection Cell said, “The postmortem report confirmed that the seven-month-old baby had been burnt with incense sticks and the poison claimed the baby’s life.”
“In this context, an FIR has been registered on the basis of a complaint filed by Prashanth, an official from the Child Protection Unit. We have been creating awareness in both rural and urban areas and many people have also become aware but still some people follow superstitions which kill innocent people,” the official added.