Nabarangpur: In yet another display of superstition-based inhuman behaviour, a 27-day-old baby girl of Kangra village under Tentulikhunti block here was branded with hot iron to “cure” her stomach ailments.
The victim is identified as the daughter of Santoshi Bag and Arun Bag. Sources said the matter came to the fore after the family of the child admitted the baby, who was in a critical condition, to the district headquarters hospital on Thursday.
The practice of branding children with hot iron and bangles to cure ailments is rampant in remote areas of Nabarangpur district. Nearly 30 such cases have been reported from Nabarangpur and the adjoining Malkangiri district this year. Many children have died due to such superstitious activities.
Some disaris (faith healers) have been arrested for treating children in such a brutal manner. The administration has also undertaken awareness campaigns but the branding of children continues unabated in Nabarangpur. The police has launched a manhunt to arrest the disari.
(This story originally appeared in the Asian Age)
