Infant branded with ‘hot iron’ to treat pneumonia in MP; probe ordered

Shahdol, Nov 21 (PTI) A one-and-a-half-month-old boy suffering from pneumonia was branded with a hot iron rod more than 40 times by a local nurse to treat the illness at a village in Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol district, officials said on Tuesday.

When the child’s condition deteriorated earlier this month, he was taken to a hospital where the matter came to light. More than 40 scars were found on the child’s neck, stomach and other body parts, they said.

The boy is now being treated at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Shahdol and a probe has been ordered into the matter, the officials said.

The baby’s family, resident of Hardi village, had approached a “daai” (village nurse) who allegedly poked the child’s body with a hot iron rod more than 40 times in a bid to treat pneumonia on November 4, they said.

The baby’s grandmother got the hot iron treatment done at her home from a “daai”, Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr RS Pandey said.

When the baby’s condition deteriorated, he was taken to the district hospital, from where he was referred to the medical college for treatment, he said.

A team of health officials has been constituted to conduct a probe into the matter, he added.

Dr Nishant Prabhakar, head of the paediatrics department at the medical college, said the baby was branded with a hot iron rod at the time of birth and again when he suffered from pneumonia.

More than 40 scars of branding were found on the child’s neck, stomach, back and other body parts, he said.

The boy is doing fine now following treatment at the government hospital, Prabhakar said.

It has been a common practice to brand children with iron rods to treat their illnesses in tribal-dominated areas of the district.

In February this year, the body of a two-and-a-half-month-old girl was exhumed in Shahdol district for an investigation following her death after allegedly being branded with a hot iron rod more than 50 times to treat pneumonia.

In the same month, another case came to light where a three-month-old girl was branded with a hot iron rod in the district.