Snake in fishing net bites Cachar man to death; Family calls in Ojha to bring him back to life

Flood and hyper-involvement in fishing activities go hand in hand. Nihar Shikdar, one such fisherman had gone to the deluge near his residence in Shewrathol, Aradhanapur village in Dholai. The 45 year old resident had thrown his fishing net and asked his brother to keep the torch light on. This is the type of net you submerge in water and the lift up with the expectation of one fine supper.

Sikdar, as he lifted his net on late Sunday night, it felt heavy. His brother, who was along with him recollects Sikdar asking him to point the light at the net itself. Nihar Sikdar had put his hand in the net and within the fraction of a second started screaming out of pain. It became evident that was bitten by a venomous snake. As per the family members and local residents, he was rushed to the Silchar Medical College and Hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

The snake has been identified as the greater black krait (Bungarus Niger) which is commonly known as “Machua Aalod”. This again exposes the danger involved in irregular fishing activities. On the same day, a King Cobra which is a scheduled species succumbed after getting stuck on a deadly trapping net (Fash Jal).

The most outrageous, sadly unsurprising thing in this tragic saga was that after Nihar’s passing, his dead body was brought back to his village where various ojhas and kaviraj proceeded to try and “remove” the venom from his body. The superstitions around snakes and snakebites claim a lot of lives every year in India.

People tend to put their faith in dubious smoke and mirror illusions rather than trusting the healthcare system of the country. A study in 2019, conducted by scientists at the Indian Institute of Science’s Evolutionary Venomics Lab found that the available anti-venom in India were not suitable for all cases according to regional variations. Around 80,000 to 1,30,000 deaths occur in India every year due to snake bites. Most of the victims are from economically disadvantaged areas.

“During the post 75 years of independence, there has been nationwide celebration of “Amrit Mahotsav” In this era of scientific and technological advancements, large sections of the rural India still rely on ‘Black magic’ for healthcare!” says Dr. Parthankar Choudhury, professor, Department of Ecology and Environment Sciences, Assam University Silchar after learning about the belief in Ojha.

“Whether there would be any awareness regarding ‘Snake bite’ in this and the similar other villages or a much experienced Ojha will reach to the spot someday and will bring back Mr. Sikdar to life remains to be seen..!” Professor Choudhury quipped.