Nuapada: Cases of hot iron branding is not new to the state, and reports of minors, newborns and sick children subjected to such botched cures keep coming from tribal belts of Odisha.
In a latest, a baby born to Laldhar Baccha and Janani Baccha of Bakalikhunti village in Boden panchayat under Boden block of Nuapada, in December last year, succumbed to this barbaric ‘treatment’.
The baby was reportedly suffering with digestive issues for which the child kept on crying continuously. Lack of education and awareness drove this couple to the village quack who administered the hot iron treatment on the toddler.
Unable to bear the pain, the baby fell unconscious following which the couple rushed to the district headquarters hospital, where the child was declared dead.
The matter has been taken up by the local administration and medical authorities seriously and an inquiry has been initiated, said sources.
