H’bag boy dies of snakebite, kin continue ‘miracle cure’ for 12 hrs

Hazaribag: The body of 12-year-old boy, who had reportedly died of snakebite at Rainbow Karma village under Debo panchayat in Chauparan block of Hazaribag district, was allegedly kept in a pit filled with cow dung, cow urine, and water for nearly 12 hours as a quack from Koderma attempted to revive him through rituals that continued till the wee hours of Monday.The deceased was identified as Rishi Kumar Ravidas.The father of the deceased, Praveen Ravidas, said, “Rishi was sleeping on the floor beside his mother early Sunday when he suddenly cried out in pain around 4 am. When the family switched on the lights, they spotted a snake near the child.”Rishi was rushed to the Barhi Sub-Divisional Hospital, where doctors declared him “brought dead”. “The family had come on Sunday morning.

I checked the boy but found him dead. There was a snakebite mark in the leg. The family left with the body,” a doctor said on condition of anonymity.The family left without post-mortem examination. On the way home, they heard about a Koderma quack, who allegedly claimed he could cure snakebite victims with traditional rituals and herbal methods. The family contacted him and requested him to come to the village, sources said.

After arriving, the practitioner reportedly instructed villagers to dig a pit near the house and fill it with cow dung, cow urine, and water. The child’s body was placed inside, with only his head above the surface, as rituals and chants continued throughout Sunday. The quack reportedly admitted on Monday early morning that the venom had spread extensively and nothing more could be done. The family buried the child in a field near their home, sources added.Officer in-charge of the Chauparan police station Pankaj Kumar said, “No post-mortem was conducted. Also, the family did not inform police.”