Infant dies after being treated by quack, occultist

A two-month-old boy died here after being allegedly treated by a quack and an occultist with doctors suspecting it to be a case of infection caused by the latter's treatment, police said today.
However, the parents have alleged that the baby died due to wrong injections administered by the quack.
"The infant identified as Dharmesh was being treated for cold-cough for past few days by one Motilal, who runs a small clinic in the Dhelwadih village," Korba Additional SP Lal Umed Singh said quoting the complaint registered by the parents.
"Yesterday, when the baby's condition deteriorated further after the injections, the accused advised his parents to shift him to the district hospital here, around 25 kms from the village, where the doctors declared the child brought dead," he added.

The doctors on the other hand suspected it to be a case of infection caused by the occultist's treatment who had put hot ashes on the baby's abdomen to guard him from evils.
Civil Surgeon Dr PS Sisodiya, Korba district hospital said, "prima facie it appears that the child died due to septicaemia. His abdomen bears several burn marks which indicate that the infant was subjected to some kind of treatment by witch doctors. Now after post mortem only the exact cause behind the death will be ascertained."

The father of the deceased Pan Singh Kanwar confirmed that the child was taken to 'Baiga' (witchcraft practitioner) as a part of their social tradition.

"After a month of my child's birth, I had taken him to a local 'Baiga' (witch doctor) for 'jhad-phoonk' (black magic practices) as a part of our tradition to guard children from all kind of evils," Kanwar said.
"The Baiga had put hot ashes on the abdomen of the child which resulted in burn marks on his body," Kanwar said and alleged adding that its the quack's treatment which resulted in the death of his son.
A case has been registered against the quack. Stern action will be taken against whoever is found guilty after the investigations are over, the ASP said.