There seems to be no end to branding infants with red hot iron and heated metal bangle in tribal dominated Nabarangpur district. In the third case in this month a 24-day old newborn from Ghodakhunta village under Dabugam block was admitted to the district headquarters hospital here on Wednesday in a critical condition following complication after branding by the quack with pieces of a heated metal bangle. The injured infant girl is undergoing treatment at the Special Newborn care unit of district headquarters hospital her condition is stable and according to paediatrician Dharani Ranjan Satpathy, all efforts are being made to save her.
In another incident a 33-day old newborn from Pujariguda under Kosagumuda block was admitted to the district headquarters hospital here on Feb 23 in a critical condition following complications after branding. The parents of the child Padlam Harijan and Laxmi Harijan, said grandfather had called a quack to their house after the infant stopped taking food. In an attempt to cure here ailment, she was branded on several parts of her body by him. "The child is suffering from pneumonia for which she is facing problems in breathing. Her condition has deteriorated due to the branding. She is under observation, at the SNCU" said child specialist Dharani Ranjan Satpathy, at Nabarangpur hospital.
On February 22, an eight-month-old baby of Madhubhatta village under Raighar block died due to superstitious treatment. Father of the boy Rama Gond, applied poisonous cashew sap oh his body to cure ailment, died during treatment at the Nabarangpur District Headquarters Hospital. The minor was suffering from chest congestion. After bring branded on Friday night, his condition deteriorated. The baby was admitted to Umerkote Community Health Centre (CHC) in a critical condition and then shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital.
Similarly, a 15-day old girl of Goramba village under Jharigam block died at hospital on January 24 after she was branded to cure her of breathing problems in the past eight weeks, many children in the district has been admitted to different hospitals in a serious condition after being branded to cure their ailments. Some of them have died.
The incidents highlighted the fact that despite arrest of five ‘desari’ or tribal witch doctors in the district, who were involved in torture of newborns and infants, similar incidents continue to take place in the area.During the past three months several cases of torture on newborns and infants by tribal witch doctors due to superstitious belief has come to fore in this district.
In the meanwhile the administration would soon launch a panchayat-level awareness programme from February 28 in Nabarangpur district to educate these traditional ‘desaris’ on the harmful effects of branding infants. We have collected the names of most of the traditional healers and will educate them along with healthcare and anganwadi workers said Rashmita Panda, Collector Nabarangpur.
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