Panic in Hapur village after several snakebite incidents, three deaths

meerUT Residents of Sadarpur village in Hapur district are in panic after three members of a family died of snakebite within a day and three others are undergoing treatment.

The snakebite incidents occurred over a short period of five days and many frightened residents sent their children to relatives’ homes.

Many residents sleep in the village chaupal and a few outside their homes to protect themselves from snakes.

According to reports, a snake bit 32-year-old Poonam, her daughter Sakshi and son Kanishka on October 21. They were taken to hospital but died the next day. This sent shock waves through the village and the villagers demanded that the snakes be captured.

Officials from the forest department, district administration and health officials visited the village and inquired about the incident.

A forest department team deputed in the village caught two rat snakes. However, on Tuesday, a snake bit another villager, Brijesh and his wife Mamta, and they were admitted to the community health center in Garhmukteshwar and are continuing to receive treatment.

Another snakebite was reported on Friday. The victim was identified as Umesho Devi and she was immediately taken to the CHC in Garhmukteshwar.

Ramesh Chandra, forest officer of Meerut and Moradabad divisions, also visited the village on Friday to take stock of the situation. “A team from the forest department is camping in the village along with a rescue kit and sufficient doses of anti-poison serum have been kept at the CHC,” said Chandra, admitting that the incidents had created panic among the villagers and officials were sensitizing them about precautionary measures .

He said the forest department team had caught a few rat snakes in the village and efforts were on to catch the poisonous snakes as well. Help from snake catchers was also sought, he said.

Villagers Jitendra Chauhan and Amiruddin admitted that people were scared and many of them had sent their children to live with relatives. Many residents slept in the chaupal, while others preferred to sleep outside their homes.