A schoolgirl named Muktakina Khatun Oishi, 17, has died after being bitten by a snake in Hatkhola-Panchlia village of Alamdanga upazila in Chuadanga. She was declared dead by the doctor on duty in the emergency department when she was taken to Chuadanga Sadar Hospital early on Friday, 25 August.

Oishi was the daughter of Shariful Islam, a tile mason from Hatkhola-Panchlia village in the upazila's Jamjami union. She was the elder of two sisters.

Rasheduzzaman, member for Ward 8 of the Jamjami union parishad, said the girl's home was in his ward and that she died of the snakebite. Exorcism rituals were carried out from the time of the bite, he said. "Village people are not aware. The girl should have been taken to hospital that same night."

Oishi's maternal uncle Talha gave a different account. "Oishi was asleep in her own room on Thursday night. At around 11:30pm a snake bit her while she slept. She then began writhing. Several kabirajes (traditional healers) then performed exorcism rituals on her. There was no snake venom in Oishi's body. She died of a stroke. If there had been venom, it would have been caught during the 'hand-moving' ritual. One healer might miss it, but the 'hand-moving' of five or six kabirajes cannot miss it. Later, when she was taken to Chuadanga Sadar Hospital at dawn, the doctor declared her dead."

Dr Fateh Akram Dolon, resident medical officer (RMO) of Chuadanga Sadar Hospital, said the family members were wrong about the schoolgirl's death. "She did not die of a stroke. She died of the snakebite. If her family wants, we are ready to carry out a post-mortem. Whether you call them ojhas or kabirajes, what they do is not right. My belief is that they misled the dead schoolgirl's family to cover up their own fault."

Biplob Kumar Nath, officer-in-charge (OC) of Alamdanga police station, said police had learned that one person died of a snakebite and that a team had been sent to the scene to find out the details.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.