Kamakhyanagar: In a bone chilling reminder of the Dana Majhi who carried the body of his wife on his shoulders due to unavailability of a hearse, a man here had to carry the body of his minor son on his shoulders for five kilometres with the help of fellow villagers after he died from snakebite Friday.
With no Mahaprayan vehicle to carry the dead, the man lifted the boy on his shoulders, it was alleged. The deceased was identified as Sumant Munda, 9, son of Jaga Munda. The bizarre incident was reported from Ekatali village under Kamakhyanagar block in Dhenkanal district.
Sources said, the incident occurred while the boy was asleep in a crusher unit late Thursday. Meanwhile, a venomous snake slithered into the shed and bit the boy while he was asleep. Family members rushed him to Kamakhyanagar sub-divisional hospital by hiring an auto-rickshaw. However, the body succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment.
Later, the family, being illiterate brought back the body to the village without autopsy. After learning of the incident, local ASHA worker and sarpanch convinced Jaga to hand over the body for autopsy and assured him to provide government compensation.
However, with no money to hire another auto-rickshaw to take back to the body for post-mortem, Jaga with the help of villagers carried the body on his shoulders for five kilometres, it was alleged.
A similar incident was also reported Thursday evening from Adhapali village under Kankadahada police limits in this district.
A girl identified as Rashmita Dehury, 19, died after she was bitten by a snake while she was asleep. The minor girl died while being taken to a hospital.
Notably, snakebite cases have registered a sharp rise in the state with the onset of monsoon.
PNN