5 TODDLERS BRANDED WITH HOT IRON

Five cases of ailing children, aged between 60 days and 7 months, being branded with hot iron rod by traditional faith healers have been reported from Pujariguda village, under Jharigaon block Nabarangpur district, on Saturday. The Anganwadi worker of the village came to know about the cases during a routine health check- up programme and immediately informed supervisor Sandhaya Rani Mohakuda, who immediately admitted the children to the Umerkote Hospital. Reports said the condition of all the children was stable. The children, who were branded with hot iron rod, were suffering from pneumonia. Their parents had first taken them to Jharigram primary health centre. As their ailment did not heal, the family members took them to the village disari ( faith healer), Dhan Singh, who branded them at over several places on their body, the reports added. The district administration has ordered a probe into the incident.