Yet another case of a newborn baby being branded with hot iron has been reported in Nuapada district. A one-month-old male child in Khirmal village of Boden block was subjected to such torture due to the superstition called “Kalachhir” in local language.
“It was a case of Kalachhir and without the hot iron press, my child would have died,” said the mother, who denied to reveal the name of the quack who branded the baby's belly with hot iron.
The baby weighs only two kg. “It is in SAM (Severely Acute Malnourished) category and needs to be admitted in the NRC (Nutrition Rehabilitation Center), but the parents do not agree,” complained the ANM of Rokal panchayat. The ASHA Worker of the village said that she tried her best to motivate the parents to shift the baby to the NRC but failed.
The baby has a retractile testicle. The ANM reported that one of the testicles has slid up to the groin due to the contractions of the muscles because of the hot iron branding. The wound has healed, but the as many as the nine branded spots on the belly are clearly visible besides one near the groin.
“The quack identified the vein on the belly and branded that with a red hot iron stick; such torture is inhuman,” said the ANM while showing the burnt spots.
“The district administration conducted a mass awareness drive against the superstition of Kalachhir in the past, but in spite of this people have been practising it clandestinely,” lamented the ASHA Worker.