In Korba district, Chhattisgarh a fatal incident has taken the life of 22-year-old Digeshwar Rathiya who was poisoned after being bitten by a poisonous snake on the night of Saturday. He died in just hours after being bitten near his house in Baigamar village. The locals have gone to an extent to burn the snake alive with his funeral pyre, fearing it might create trouble for someone later.

Fatal Snake Bite Claims Young Life

On Sunday morning, Rathiya was turning his bed in his room when he was bitten by a common krait, the most venomous snake. He immediately lets the family members know who takes him to the government hospitals at Korba. He succumbed to the death because of the seriousness of the bite. His body was returned back to the family after postmortem and sent for cremation.

Villagers Justify Snake Burning

After the incident, villagers caught the snake and tied it in a covered basket. Later on, they bound it to a stick and dragged it towards the cremation site during Rathiya’s procession. Videos of the incident have surfaced on social media. In the video, villagers can be seen dragging the snake while reiterating their fear that it would become a death cause to someone else.

The alleged culprits justified what they did in light of the threat, as asserted by them, of a poisonous snake, and said that they would not have left anything behind the carcass of Rathiya, lest it might endanger someone in the area.

Official Calls For Snake Awareness Education

Official Calls For Awareness

Korba’s Sub-Divisional Officer, Ashish Khelwar, spoke on the issue, assuring that the villagers would not be penalized for killing the snake. He said there is a need to educate the community concerning snakes and proper snakebite management. Snakes, he said are an integral part of the ecosystem, and awareness always turns out to be the key to avoiding such tragic incidents in the future.