LA 13-year-old teenager in India tragically lost his life after his family kept him immersed in the Ganges River for 12 hours following a snake bite instead of seeking medical help, the country’s media reported.
The death of the young boy recently caused outrage throughout India and reignited the heated debate regarding the potentially deadly consequences of superstition and the denial of proper medical care.
Acting on the instructions of a ‘witch doctor,’ a rural family kept their 13-year-old son immersed in the holy Ganges River for 12 hours, instead of taking him to a hospital after he got bitten by the poisonous snake.
The boy, whose name was given simply as Amit, a Class 4 student from Pitampur village in Uttar Pradesh, was bitten by the snake last week Thursday.
He immediately told his family what happened, but instead of rushing him to a hospital, they decided to consult a witch doctor.
The man reportedly told the family to tie Amit to bamboo poles and keep his body immersed in the Ganges River, so that the holy water of the river could cure him.
Indian media reported after 12 hours, the family noticed that Amit had become unconscious, and then they finally decided to take him to a medical doctor, but by that time, there was nothing to be done.
Even after learning of Amit’s death, the family allegedly tried to throw his body into the Ganges, hoping for a miracle.
Dr. Shashank Chaudhary of the health centre in the village told reporters that he and his colleagues routinely conduct awareness-raising campaigns, urging people to come to the hospital immediately after getting bitten by snakes, as every minute counts.
Amit’s preventable death sparked outrage on social media, with many asking that his parents should face consequences for their negligence.
