The inhuman superstitious practice of branding of children continues in Nabarangpur District. Again a 28 day-old infant, branded with hot iron bangles, while undergoing treatment at District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) had died on Thursday night.
The child, born to Rama Jani and his wife Bharati of Petuguda village in Papadahandi block, had been suffering from stomach pain and swelling for the last 9 days. Instead of taking him to the hospital, the parents opted for traditional treatment which involved branding the baby with hot iron bangles on his stomach.
According to reports a villager branded the infant with the hot iron bangles. Later the infant developed breathing problem. But, when his condition deteriorated further, the parents took the bay boy to the district headquarters hospital at around 8 PM on Thursday. While undergoing treatment the baby boy died after 3 hours of his admission.
ADMO, Medical. Sanjit Patnaik said the infant was admitted in DHH in very critical condition. The deceased was suffering from acute breathing. Though the doctors tried their level best but the infant could not survive. After the death of the infant the officials of Papadahandi police station rushed to DHH and seized the body and sent for post-mortem.
A similar incident had taken place in the district during the last week of June, in which a six-month-old baby boy of Khutiguda village in the same Papadahandidied after being branded with hot iron bangle by his mother. The baby son of Janaki and Nakul Bhatra was suffering from breathing problem. Instead of taking him to the hospital, his mother Janaki opted for the traditional treatment of branding the baby with hot iron bangles on his stomach. When the parents did not see any sign of recovery, they took him to the Community Health Centre (CHC) at Dabugam.
Later, the baby was shifted first to Nabarangpur DHH and them to Koraput DHH after his health condition deteriorated. However, acute poverty forced Nakul and his wife Janaki to bring back their ailing child who was undergoing treatment at the DHH, Koraput. And the baby boy died with in two days at the home.
It is alarming that within last 30 days two incidents of branding children with hot iron bangles had happened and both the children had died. It may be recalled, as many as 30 cases of branding, a superstitious practice, were reported from across the district in 2016. The practice has already claimed the lives of three infants excluding two recent. Former district collector Rashmita Panda had launched a programme called 'Jyoti' in 2016 to generate awareness among tribals on the inhuman practice. The awareness programme had also succeeded in preventing the practice.
The result was that there was no report of such incident during the last one and half year. The state Government had also awarded the then Collector Panda and also made cash award of Rs. 15 lakh to the district administration. But, what happened, now once again the superstitious inhuman practice has come to play its killing role in rural areas of the district.