Sambalpur (Odisha), Jul 20: A day after doctors at Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) in Odisha's Burla removed 70 needles from the skull of a sorcery victim, neurosurgeons retrieved another seven during a follow-up surgery on Saturday.
Director Bhabagrahi Rath said, "So far, 77 needles have been retrieved from the girl’s head in two surgeries. Fortunately, the needles have not caused any bone injuries, but there are soft tissue injuries on her head."
The patient is under observation and will be checked for other issues for which she visited the sorcerer, Rath added.
He noted it is premature to assume the problems were psychological and emphasised the need for thorough diagnosis.
The girl, referred from Bolangir to VIMSAR due to pain and infection risk, is out of danger but will remain under post-operative care for about a week.
On Thursday, Reshma Behera (19) of Ichgaon under Sindhikela police limits in Bolangir was admitted to Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital with severe headache, leading to a CT scan revealing multiple needles in her head.
Despite initial removal of eight needles, her condition did not improve, prompting her referral to VIMSAR, where 70 more needles were removed.
Reshma, frequently ill since her mother’s death four years ago, sought help from a sorcerer in 2021. The family discovered the needles' presence recently when Reshma complained of pain.
The quack has been arrested, and Kantabanji police are investigating if there were other victims subjected to needle piercing by the accused.
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Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
