Infant branded with hot iron dies in Odisha  

UMERKOTE: Superstitious belief claimed yet another life of an infant in Nabarangpur district as a four-month-old baby boy, who was branded with hot iron by a quack, died during treatment at the district headquarters hospital (DHH) here on Friday.

The baby named Muna was the son of Trinath Nayak of Lokiguda village in Tentulikhunti block. Sources said Muna was suffering from fever and cold. Though his parents took him to several hospitals for check up, Muna’s health condition did not improve. 

Helpless, the parents then took the baby to a local traditional healer who seared Muna’s body with hot iron at several places. The baby’s condition worsened following which he was admitted to the community health centre (CHC) at Tentulikhunti.  The child sustained burn injuries, said Dr. Sachikanta Lenka of the CHC. He was later shifted to the DHH where he died during treatment.