3-month-old girl dies undergoing branding rituals to cure pneumonia in MP's Shahdol

Superstitious beliefs in tribal-dominated Shahdol district to cure ailments led to the death of a three-month-old child. She suffered severe burn injuries while undergoing the branding rituals and was taken to the hospital where she died during treatment.

Shahdol (Madhya Pradesh):A yet another instance of Dagna practice using red hot iron rod to cure ailments has come to light in Madhya Pradesh's tribal-dominated Shahdol district. Branding rituals were performed on a three-month-old girl to provide her relief from pneumonia. The infant died due to severe burn injuries.

The incident occurred in Patasi village of Sohagpur, adjacent to the district headquarters on December 19. It has been learnt that the infant was suffering from pneumonia and had developed breathing problems. Her parents took her to a quack to provide her relief. She underwent branding rituals several times on her body but instead of improving, her condition continued to deteriorate.

Finding no improvement in the child's condition, her parents finally rushed her to Shahdol District Hospital for treatment. But, by that time, her condition had aggravated a lot and she died during treatment. Several marks of branding have been found on the child's body, doctors said.

Sohagpur SDM Pragati Verma said that the district administration has been continuously running a campaign to stop the evil practice of Dagna. In the recent case of the infant, orders have been given to the concerned department to investigate, Verma said.

The evil practice of Dagna is very prevalent in Shahdol district. With frequent cases coming to light, the matter has become a cause of concern for authorities as innocent children are being made victims. Also, the district administration has taken up an awareness campaign to inform people about the evil practice. However, despite all efforts, cases continue to occur here.