Bhopal Diary: Superstition of branding ailing infants resurfaces
India’s first third-gender MLA in trouble
Country’s first third gender MLA Shabnam “Mausi” Bano is in trouble for not depositing her licensed pistol with authorities in pursuance with model code of conduct in force for the MP assembly polls. Shabnam, who holds two licensed weapons, deposited the double-barrel gun with authorities, but didn’t do the same with the pistol, owing to which a case of model code of conduct violation was lodged against her. The pistol’s licence too has been cancelled. Shabnam had become the first third gender person to be elected an MLA in the country, when she won the by-election from Sohagpur seat of Shahdol in 2000.
30 outgoing MLAs asked to vacate official houses
As many as 30 outgoing MLAs – who were not fielded in the November 17 MP assembly polls by either the BJP or the Congress — have been served eviction notice by the authorities to vacate their official residences. These MLAs, include three turncoats – Sumitra Devi Kasdekar and Raksha Saronia (ex-Congress MLAs who failed to get BJP tickets) and Virendra Raghuvanshi, ex-BJP MLA who failed to get Congress ticket from Shivpuri. The list also includes Akash Vijayvargiya, the first-time MLA son of BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who hasn’t found favour with his party.
Superstition of branding ailing infants resurfaces
Daagna, the cruel superstitious practice of branding ailing infants with hot objects out of the false belief that it will cure pneumonia and related ailments has landed a two-months-old Baiga tribal male child in the paediatric ICU of the government medical college in Shahdol. The infant, who is slowly recuperating from health complications of pneumonia and Daagna related wounds on multiple parts of the body was branded with scalding hot bangles by a female faith healer at the insistence of his grandfather. The police have booked the infant’s mother, grandfather and the faith healer under relevant sections of the IPC.
Anuraag singh
Our correspondent in Madhya Pradesh
singhanuraag.jaurno@gmail.com