Three orphaned children face uncertain future after grandfather dies of snakebite in Palamu
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK Daltonganj, September 5: For three children aged below six, the death of their 45-year-old grandfather from snakebite in…
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, September 5: For three children aged below six, the death of their 45-year-old grandfather from snakebite in Palamu has brought a devastating new uncertainty: who will care for them now?
Suraj Rajwar, a daily wage worker from Rajandeeh village under Mohammadganj police station, died on Thursday night after he was bitten by a venomous snake while asleep.
His death has left the three young children without their father and now without the grandfather who had been looking after them.
The children’s father had died a few years ago while travelling by train, while their mother subsequently left them and began living with another man, according to information available from the family.
The children’s present caregiver, an elderly woman, is reportedly struggling to meet their basic needs.
Rajwar’s death also highlights the potentially fatal consequences of delaying medical treatment after a snakebite.
Mohammadganj police station officer-in-charge Narayan Soren said Rajwar was bitten on the hand while sleeping. The snake may have been hiding among old clothes used as bedding, police said, quoting family members.
Rajwar was taken to the Sub-Divisional Hospital in Hussainabad, around 25 km away, where he was administered anti-snake venom.
However, instead of continuing treatment at the hospital, his family reportedly hired an autorickshaw and took him to a traditional faith healer for jhar-phoonk.
His body was brought back to the hospital on Friday morning. A post-mortem examination was conducted and sources said the death was confirmed as a snakebite fatality.
Children need urgent support
Civil society activists have now appealed to Palamu Deputy Commissioner Dilip Pratap Singh Shekhawat to intervene in the children’s case.
They have urged the district administration to consider providing the three children shelter and care at a child-care institution until they attain the age of 18, describing their situation as one requiring immediate administrative attention.
The case has brought into sharp focus the vulnerability of children left without dependable parental care in rural areas, where poverty, limited access to emergency healthcare and reliance on traditional healing practices can compound one another.
Nearest anti-snake venom facility 25 km away
Palamu Civil Surgeon Dr Anil Kumar Sriwastwa said the Ayushman Arogya Mandir at Mohammadganj is not authorised to handle snakebite cases and therefore does not receive anti-snake venom stocks.
The nearest government facility equipped to treat such cases is the Sub-Divisional Hospital at Hussainabad.
Under the state’s disaster management relief provisions, the next of kin of a person who dies from snakebite is eligible for compensation of Rs 4 lakh, according to officials.
For Rajwar’s three young grandchildren, however, the immediate concern is far more basic — a safe home, regular care and someone to stand by them as they grow up.
