After diarrhoea outbreak, superstition stops MP villagers from treatment outside village

Bhopal: Villagers in a village in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh bound by superstition refused to move out of the village for treatment despite a diarrhoea outbreak, claiming the local tantrik had secured the boundaries of the village and asked them not to cross it. After the death of a five-year-old girl, the health and district administration officials had a tough time counselling the villagers to move out to health centres for treatment.

On Sept 14, a 5-year-old girl identified as Ramkanya Mawasi died in Semraha, a tribal village situated in jungles near the Uttar Pradesh borders in Padari village panchayat with diarrhoea-like symptoms. After getting the information, health teams rushed to the village, but the locals refused to leave the village.

"Our teams tried to pacify the villagers, but they were not willing to leave. Later, we informed the SDM, and a team of administration and police also visited the village and spoke to them and made the locals understand. Some priest in the village had assured them that nothing bad would happen to the village, as he had secured the boundaries of the village. On being counselled, the priest agreed to help people to go to the hospital and made an appeal to the villagers. Six people were admitted, and one was shifted to the district hospital. All the patients are out of danger now," chief medical and health officer, Satna, Dr L K Tiwari told TOI.

Meanwhile, local villagers said that the tribals had missed a ‘puja' of their deity thus inviting the wrath of the deity. "The local priest had said that since they had not done puja of their deity this year, it had led to the diarrhoea outbreak. So, initially they were preparing for worship of the deity instead of taking medicines and treatment. When they were advised by the teams, they agreed. It was late by the time the villagers agreed to the plea of the administration," representative of the sarpanch of Padri panchayat, Rambibhor Kushwaha told TOI.

"It is a hamlet comprising around 100 houses of tribals. They drink water from a local well. It could be the cause of infection," he said.

Police officials also said that after a little advice, the reluctant villagers agreed to go to the hospital. "Their local priest had probably told them that the boundaries of the village have been secured and not to move out. However, after a little advice, they agreed to go to the hospital," Barondha police station in-charge, Abhinav Singh Parihar told TOI.