Family members cover lightning strike victim with cow dung, mud

Dumka: In an act of superstition, family members of an 18-year-old girl, who died after a lightning strike on Monday, kept her body covered with mud and cow dung for hours believing that she would come back to life.
The incident happened at Daldali village under Gopikandar police station when Alijabeth Murmu was struck by lightning on Monday evening while returning from the field after sowing paddy. The police had a tough time convincing the family members to allow post mortem of the body. It was only on Tuesday that the post mortem was conducted and the body was handed over to the family for the last rites.
According to sources, another villager, Hopni Murmu (45), who was with the girl, was also injured when the lightning struck. Hopni is undergoing treatment at a government health centre.
Family members of Alijabeth, who died on the spot, applied a thick layer of mud and cow dung and were waiting for her to come back to life. After the police learnt about the incident, they went to the village to take the body for post mortem but faced resistance. Late in the night, they finally managed to convince them and sent the body for post mortem.
Gopikandar police station officer-in-charge Bilkan Bags said, “The family members waited for several hours after applying the thick layer of the mixture due to their superstition. We, somehow, managed to convince them later and took the body for post mortem.”