After a tiles worker from Basura village in Kaliakair upazila, Gazipur, died of a snakebite on Saturday morning, preparations began in the evening to have exorcists (ojhas) treat him and "cure" him. The incident has caused a stir in the area.

In an age of scientific advance, the arrangements resembled a Bengali film. Just as in Bengali films, where a snakebite patient is cured by an exorcist who sends out cowries and chants incantations, similar arrangements were under way.

The man who died of the snakebite was Saiful Islam, 40, son of Yunus Ali of Basura village in Kaliakair upazila, Gazipur. He was a tiles worker by profession.

He was bitten by a snake when he went fishing in a beel last Friday night. A local exorcist first tried to cure him with incantations; when that failed, he was taken to hospital, where he died under treatment on Saturday morning.

In the afternoon, before his funeral prayer, two exorcists came from Savar in Dhaka, claimed they could treat and cure the dead Saiful, and asked that the funeral prayer not be held. At their request, the relatives began preparing for the exorcists' treatment instead.

Kaliakair police station officer-in-charge AFM Nasim confirmed the incident.

Local sources and Saiful's relatives said that at around 9.30pm last Friday he went with neighbours, with a torch and a fishing spear, to fish in a beel near his home. On the way a venomous snake suddenly bit him on the left foot. Others with him struck and killed the snake with the spear. Saiful and the others then returned home with the dead snake and told his family and neighbours. His relatives first took him to an exorcist. When the exorcist could not cure him, the family took him that night to Kumudini Hospital in Mirzapur, Tangail, where he died under treatment on Saturday morning.

On Saturday afternoon Saiful's body was bathed and dressed in a shroud, and a funeral prayer was arranged beside the house. As it was being arranged, several exorcists arrived claiming he could be treated and made well. On their claim the funeral prayer was put off and arrangements began for treatment by the exorcists. The incident caused a great stir; people from the surrounding area gathered in the field to watch, and many streamed it live on social media.

The live streams showed several banana plants cut and planted in the ground in the middle of the field, with some brass pitchers full of milk and chairs beside them, surrounded by a curious crowd.

At 9.30pm, when this report was being written, preparations were under way to bring the exorcists and Saiful's body to the spot. The two exorcists had examined Saiful, explained what needed to be done and gone to Manikganj to fetch cowries. The rituals were to begin when they returned with the cowries, and a curious crowd was waiting to watch.

Kaliakair police station officer-in-charge AFM Nasim said: "A man died in hospital under treatment for a snakebite. We then learned that before the burial, because of superstition or blind belief, the dead man's relatives were having him treated by some exorcists. The matter is under our watch."

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