Infant branded by witchdoctor in Dahod

Vadodara: A four-month-old sick girl was branded by a witchdoctor ‘to treat her illness' in Dahod. The girl had to be taken to a paediatric hospital after her health deteriorated. She was discharged on Thursday.
The girl, from Himala village in Dahod taluka, fell ill last month. She had a fever and a respiratory infection. She was taken to a private clinic, but her condition did not improve. As her fever did not abate, her parents took her to a witchdoctor.
The witchdoctor — called a ‘bhuva' in local parlance — branded her on her chest three times with a needle. It is widely believed in the area that such branding can treat an illness.
The parents took the girl back to Himala, but her condition did not improve. She was taken to Dahod for treatment on Jan 31 and was admitted to a private hospital there.
Dr Sonal Hathila, who treated the girl, said she was brought in after her condition worsened. "She was cured and discharged on Thursday. We went public with the incident to raise awareness against this practice which is prevalent in the area," she said.
Katwara police reached out to the doctor on learning about the branding. "The branding was not brought to our notice earlier. We are reaching out to the parents and will act based on what they say," said inspector U M Gavit of Katwara police station.