Baby dies after being branded with hot iron nail by parents

Superstitious ways of treating kids and infants took its toll in Keonjhar district on Sunday after a 25-day-old tribal infant, who was branded with hot iron for stomach ailments, succumbed to his injuries at the district headquarters hospital.

On July 29, the newborn from Kharba village under Harichandanpur block was branded with a hot iron. As the wound near the baby’s navel showed signs of infection, the child’s mother Malati Juang branded the area with a hot iron nail.

According to his family, the child had a wound on his stomach where they used a hot iron nail when other traditional cures failed. But the next morning, the condition of the infant deteriorated and the baby was admitted to the Special Newborn Care Unit of the Keonjhar district headquarters hospital.

Paediatric specialist of the hospital Dr PK Mahakud said branding by the parents worsened the infant’s condition.

Five days ago, an 18-day-old girl of Keonjhar had died under similar circumstances after her parents branded her in her stomach to cure her bloated belly. Recently, a five-year-old boy was branded with hot iron by family members to cure stomach ailments.

In Keonjhar district, at least dozen such cases of branding of babies have been reported in the past two months. Keonjhar district collector N Thirumala Nayak said his officials have started awareness campaigns.

“As superstitious beliefs are steeped in among rural people, it would take time,” said Nayak. Similar practices are also rampant in other remote areas of the state.