Gujarat: 2-month-old girl branded with hot iron rod to treat cough; quack held
Porbandar, Feb 12: A two-month-old baby girl was hospitalised after she was allegedly branded with a hot iron rod by a "self-styled doctor" to treat her for cough in Gujarat's Porbandar district, police said on Sunday.
The quack was arrested on Sunday and an FIR was registered against him and the child's mother, Deputy Superintendent of Police Surjeet Mahedu said.
The baby has been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a government hospital. She is under observation and her condition is reported to be stable, he said.
"The baby suffered from cough and phlegm a week ago and her parents tried a local cure at home, but she did not get relief. Thereafter, the child's mother took her to one Devrajbhai Katara," Mahedu said.
Katara allegedly branded the baby with a hot iron rod on her chest and stomach. When she did not get relief, the parents took the child to Bhavsinhji General Hospital in Porbandar and the matter came to light, he said.
Based on a complaint by the infant's father, an FIR was registered against Katara and the baby's mother under Indian Penal Code Section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by means of any instrument likely to cause death) and other provisions, the official said.
The condition of the baby, who was admitted in the ICU of the hospital in Porbandar, was stable, he said.
Dr Jai Badiyani from the general hospital told mediapersons that the baby was brought to the medical facility on February 9 with breathing complications.
"She was put on oxygen support in the ICU. During the treatment we found that she was branded on chest...This increased her complications," he said.
Earlier this month, a two-and-a-half-month-old girl died in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district after allegedly being branded with a hot iron rod more than 50 times by an exorcist, police had said.
Another case where a 3-month-old girl was branded with a hot iron rod had also came to light in Shahdol, they said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
