Body of infant branded 51 times with iron rod exhumed in MP

“The girl was suffering from pneumonia and the infection spread due to a delay in treatment,” Shahdol collector Vandana Vaidya said.

The body of a three-month-old baby, who died after a quack branded her 51 times with a hot iron rod in order to “treat” pneumonia, was exhumed on Saturday even as another infant was admitted to a hospital after being branded in the same manner in Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol, officials familiar with the matter said.

The child’s body was exhumed on Saturday in order to conduct an autopsy and determine the exact cause of her death, officials said. (Representational Image)

Officials said that the family of the deceased infant, who was suffering from pneumonia, initially took her to a fake doctor who branded her more than 50 times in order to “cure” her. When the child’s condition worsened, the family took her to the Shahdol Medical College where she died on Wednesday night.

“The girl was suffering from pneumonia and the infection spread due to a delay in treatment,” Shahdol collector Vandana Vaidya said.

The child’s body was exhumed on Saturday in order to conduct an autopsy and determine the exact cause of her death, officials said.

“We exhumed the body in order to know the exact cause of death. After the post-mortem, an FIR will be registered against the quack,” Shahdol superintendent of police Kumar Prateek said.

Another infant branded

A three-month-old girl was admitted to a private hospital after she was branded with a hot iron rod, officials said, adding that the child’s condition was critical.

State’s chief medical and health officer RS Pandey said he will collect information about the case and other such incidents in the area.