Chhattisgarh: Man dies of snakebite; villagers burn reptile alive on his funeral pyre

Locals say they feared the snake might harm someone else also, hence they burnt it on the pyre

Korba: A 22-year-old man died after a venomous snake bit him in Chhattisgarh‘s Korba district, following which locals burnt the reptile alive on his funeral pyre.

After the incident on Sunday, some locals said they feared the snake might harm someone else also, hence they burnt it on the pyre. A district official said there was a need to educate people about these reptiles and snakebite management. A video showing some persons dragging the reptile using a rope has surfaced on social media.

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A common krait bit the man, identified as Digeshwar Rathiya, on Saturday night when he was arranging his bed in a room at his house in Baigamar village, an official here said.

Rathiya alerted his family members about it following which he was rushed to a government hospital in Korba where he died on Sunday morning during treatment, he said. After the postmortem, the body was handed over to the family for cremation, the official said.

Following the incident, the villagers managed to catch the snake and kept it inside a covered basket. They later tied the snake with a rope hanged from a stick.

While the funeral procession of Rathiya was taken out from his house to the crematorium, the villagers also dragged the snake to the place, a clip of which surfaced on social media. Later, they burnt the snake alive on the funeral pyre of Rathiya.

Some villagers said they were scared that the poisonous snake might attack someone else and hence, they burnt it on the pyre. Asked about the incident, Korba’s Sub-Divisional Officer Ashish Khelwar said no action will be taken against the villagers for killing the snake.

He stressed on the need for educating and creating awareness among people about snakes and snakebite management as the reptiles are important for the ecosystem.