Tamil Nadu: Annamalai condemns snake bite incident, says govt fully responsible for child’s death

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 29 (ANI): Condemning the tragic incident where a toddler who succumbed to a snake bite was carried by her parents in their arms to hospital, Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief K Annamalai said that it is deeply painful and the state government is fully responsible for the incident.

In Tamil Nadu’s Vellore district, due to the lack of proper road facilities, the parents of an 18-month-old child who succumbed to a snake bite carried her body in her arms for 10 km after the ambulance dropped them midway.

“The Vellore incident is deeply painful in which a 1.5-year-old child succumbed to a snake bite as the child was unable to be taken to the hospital at the right time because of improper roads. Condolences to the child’s parents”, said K Annamalai.

The child named Dhanushka succumbed to a snake bite on Friday as it took her parents time to reach the hospital in the absence of proper roads in the village.

“A death of a child due to lack of proper road facilities is unacceptable. It was even worse when the child’s parents had to walk ten kilometres carrying the child’s dead body. This is the height of misery that no one should experience,” he said.

“Tamil Nadu government is fully responsible for the death of the little child. On behalf of TN BJP, we urging the government to build proper roads wherever needed in small and hilly villages to avoid any life loss,” he added.

After the snake bite incident, parents and relatives rushed her to a hospital in Vellore, but the girl died en route.

The parents of the deceased have been identified as Vijay and Priya.

Reacting to this incident on Twitter, NCW member and BJP leader Khushbu said, “I’m devastated to see this news. Heart bleeds as a parent and a human. Where are we heading?? Emotion and compassion seem to have been buried somewhere deep. How can one be so inhuman?? Immediate and stringent action should be taken against the ambulance driver. Urge the authorities to look into this without any delay.”

Relatives of the child alleged that the improper road caused a delay in reaching the hospital, as a result, the child could not get treatment on time.

The Annaikattu Police has registered a case under the relevant sections.

Further investigation is underway.