A Toddler Bitten While Playing Outside His Home
A deeply disturbing incident from Kota district in Rajasthan has reignited urgent concern about the deadly consequences of superstition during medical emergencies. A 2-year-old boy lost his life not because treatment was unavailable, but because his family chose ritual healing over a hospital in the critical hours following a snakebite.
The child, identified as 2-year-old Kalu, lived with his family in the Tapri locality, which falls under the Railway Colony police station area of Kota. On the day of the incident, he was playing outside his home when a venomous snake or poisonous insect bit him on his right hand. His sudden screams brought his family running, and they quickly discovered the cause of his distress.
Two Hours of Rituals While the Venom Spread
Rather than rushing Kalu to a hospital, the family took him first to local religious shrines and then to tantrics, seeking supernatural relief through jhaad-phoonk rituals. For approximately two hours, the family continued this course, placing their faith in traditional practices while the child's condition worsened with every passing minute.
All the while, the venom worked its way through the toddler's small body. He remained in pain throughout as the family persisted with the rituals. It was only when Kalu became completely unresponsive and his condition turned critical that the family finally decided to take him to a hospital. By then, the delay had proved catastrophic.
Doctors at the ICU Could Not Save Him
The family rushed to the New Medical College Hospital in Kota, where doctors immediately admitted Kalu to the ICU and began treatment. The medical team made every possible effort to save him, but by that time the poison had already spread throughout his body. Within a short time of beginning treatment, the 2-year-old passed away and was officially declared dead by the attending doctors.
Grief engulfed the family at the hospital. Their inconsolable weeping filled the ward as the weight of those two lost hours became impossible to ignore.
Police Register Marg Report After Post-Mortem
Following notification from the hospital administration, officers from the Railway Colony police station arrived at the scene to take up the matter. A post-mortem examination was conducted on the body of 2-year-old Kalu, after which it was handed over to the family. Police have registered a marg report in the case and have commenced further legal proceedings.
Snakebite is a medical emergency in which every passing minute can be the difference between life and death. This tragedy from Kota stands as a stark reminder that in such situations, the only appropriate response is an immediate rush to the nearest hospital, with no time lost to rituals or traditional remedies.
