Child branded in Odisha’s Nabarangpur, dies

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Nabarangpur, Feb 22:

The eight-month-old baby boy in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district who was branded with red hot iron on last Friday night by his father to cure him of an ailment succumbed to his injuries at the district headquarters hospital here today.

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The child who was branded by his father at more than five places on his body to cure him of asthma hailed from Mahubhatta village under Raighar police station limits.

It may be mentioned here that the child was suffering from asthma like breathing problem and his father Ram Ganda had taken him to the nearest public health centre.  As there was no improvement in his health conditions Ram on Friday night branded the child on his body at several places. Ram took his child to the Umerkote Community Health Centre (CHC) as his condition deteriorated after the branding. The child was admitted to the CHC and was later shifted to the district headquarters hospital.

“My father used to brand infants. Believing that it will cure my child of his illness I had branded him. Nobody had told me to brand him. However, the child’s illness persisted. In the morning on the next day the Anganwadi worker told me to take him to a hospital,” Ram had told reporters on Sunday.

Notably, branding of five infants had come to notice in Nabarangpur district in the last three months out of which two have succumbed to their injuries including the child who died today, said sources.