Child dies as teacher detains him at school after snakebite: report

30 July 2013 - 11:18 By Time LIVE
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
A cobra being used for 'snake charming' in India.
A cobra being used for 'snake charming' in India.
Image: Renaud d'Avout d'Auerstaedt

A boy in India has died after alleged carelessness of a teacher, who delayed his treatment for a snakebite, according to a report.

The six-year-old Uttar Pradesh boy, who had been bitten by a deadly snake, died allegedly because of the delay in getting him to the hospital, as the teacher of the primary school in which he was a student, refused him permission to leave.

According to the reports, The Deccan Herald said the boy named Ravi Kishore had gone to the kitchen to fetch something when he was bitten by a snake in his right toe during lunch.

Ravi’s elder sister, also a student at the school, informed the teacher when she saw blood oozing from his wound, but the teacher neither took any step to wash the wound nor informed his parents.

The girl alleged the teacher scolded her when she told him that her her brother’s condition was not good and sought permission to go home. The teacher allowed her to take the child home only after his condition worsened.

The parents rushed Ravi to a local doctor who referred him to the nearby community health centre. Ravi, however, died on way to the hospital.

Naval Kishore, the father of the child, held the school staff responsible for the death.

“The teacher did not allow him to go home though he should have immediately rushed him to the doctor. The cook of the school is also responsible. The kitchen was very dirty, she should have kept it clean,” Kishore said.

Local villagers have demanded action against the school staff.

The snake was later caught by a local snake charmer from the kitchen.

Snakebite remains an underestimated cause of accidental death in modern India, according to a 2011 study conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, which says it causes about one death for every two HIV-related deaths.

About 45 900 annual snakebite deaths occur nationally, with higher rates in rural areas and annual snakebite deaths were greatest in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

The most likely cause of the high death rate is usually the lack of access to proper treatment.

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now