A teenager named Sanowar Hossain, 14, died of a snakebite in Sarishabari, Jamalpur. Yet a kabiraj named Bahar Mia performed incantations over him until noon on Friday 1 September at Sthal village in Aona union of the upazila, trying to bring him back to life.

Sanowar was the son of Abul Kalam of the Adra area in Satpoya union of the upazila. The incident happened on the night of Thursday 31 August at Sthal village in Aona union. That night he was taken to Sarishabari upazila health complex, where the doctor on duty declared him dead.

Local and family sources said Abul Kalam of Adra has two wives. His second wife, Sajeda Begum, lives with her two sons at Sthal village in Aona union. On Thursday evening the two brothers, Sagar, 17, and Sanowar, 14, were catching fish by torchlight in a paddy field in the Sthal Purbapara beel near their home, when a venomous snake bit Sanowar on the right leg. He was taken to Sarishabari upazila health complex that night, where the doctor on duty declared him dead.

When relatives brought the body back to the village for burial, Bahar Mia, son of the ojha Rahman Pagla of the Satpoya area, assured them he could revive the boy with incantations. As the ritual went on until Friday noon, the burial could not take place.

The boy's mother, Sajeda Begum, said the doctor at the hospital had told them her son was dead, but the kabiraj had been performing the ritual since Friday morning. "Local people have discussed and criticised this a lot. Still, with a mother's heart, I am having it done in the hope that my son might come back to life," she said.

Dr Rabiul Islam, resident medical officer (RMO) of Sarishabari upazila health complex, gave a different account to Jagonews24. He said the boy was brought to the upazila health complex alive the previous night and was referred elsewhere. Instead of taking him to hospital, relatives went back and forth and brought him again to Sarishabari upazila health complex, where he died.

Asked about the kabiraj's treatment, he said: "Incantations have no place in medical science. These are superstitions. The treatment for a snakebite patient is vaccination."

Satpoya union parishad chairman Abu Taher told Jagonews24 he knew nothing about the matter and nobody had informed him. Aona union parishad chairman Bellal Hossain told Jagonews24 he had heard about the death by word of mouth.

Muhammad Mohabbat Kabir, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sarishabari police station, told Jagonews24 he had heard that someone had died of a snakebite, but had not heard about the ritual.

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