Teenage girl dies of snake bite near Jamshedpur, family refuses autopsy

Jamshedpur: In a tragic incident, Chintamani Hansda, a teenage college student, succumbed to a snake bite near her house in Patamda, a rural area of East Singhbhum district, on Sunday. Despite over 24 hours having passed since the incident, her family has refused to allow the police to take the body for a postmortem, a step necessary for obtaining government compensation.

Chintamani, 17, a student at Patamda Intercollege, was bitten by a snake while grazing cows in the field near her house in Bantodiha village, Lachhipur panchayat, at around 10 a.m. on Sunday. Unaware of the bite, she returned home after two hours and soon fell ill. When foam began to fill her mouth, her family inspected her and found snake bite marks on her leg.

In a desperate attempt to save her, the family rushed Chintamani to MGM Medical College Hospital (MGMMCH), a 30-minute drive away. Unfortunately, upon arrival, doctors declared her dead.

Despite being informed that a postmortem was required to receive a Rs 4 lakh compensation from the state government’s Disaster Management Department, the family brought the body back home, refusing to leave it at the hospital for the necessary procedures.

“We will go over to Mahendra Hansda’s house and will try to convince him to allow the police to seize the body for postmortem without which the compensation amount cannot be obtained,” said OC, Patamda thana, Karampal Bhagat.

The Hansda family’s refusal stems from cultural and emotional reasons, despite the potential financial assistance that could alleviate their burden during this difficult time. The local authorities are continuing their efforts to persuade the family to comply with the necessary legal formalities to secure the compensation.