Berhampur: Hours after OTV telecast a report on how snake bite deaths are rising in Odisha because people continue to follow superstitions rather than medical advice; two more deaths corroborate how people continue to fall prey to superstitious practices.
One Siva Patra of Buguda area in Ganjam district was bitten by a poisonous snake yesterday. The family members along with the villagers took him to the Baladevjew Temple for conducting a special prayer instead of taking him to the hospital for treatment.
Sources said that 82 drums of water were poured over Patra and some special puja was conducted to cure him. However, as his condition deteriorated further, he was taken to the Buguda Hospital for treatment where doctors declared him brought-dead.
Likewise, one Sujata Pradhan of Kanasuka village under Buguda block was taken to a sorcerer after she was bitten by a snake yesterday. When the black magic performed by the sorcerer failed to cure Sujata, she was rushed to the hospital. However, she was declared dead soon after she was admitted to the hospital.