At least three cases of branding of babies by traditional healers have emerged in Odisha's Nabarangpur within two months of an awareness campaign against the practice. The latest case of branding was reported from Khandsar village in Jharigaon block, where a traditional healer reportedly branded Dikchand Goud's one-and-a-half-month-old son Laldhar in at least 15 places, including his head, with a hot iron nail. The boy was admitted to Jharigaon hospital on Thursday and later transferred to Umerkote hospital where his condition is said to be stable. The healer, who is on the run, allegedly branded the infant on July 11 after the boy's father called him to heal a boil on the baby’s head. [related-post] Watch Video: What's making news Nabarangpur is the focus of a year-long assignment by The Indian Express to track poverty and transformation one of India's poorest districts. On July 2, a 16-month-old baby from Mundagada village of Papadahandi block was admitted in Nabarangpur district hospital after he was branded on his belly in 20 places. As Daitari Dalapati's son had stopped passing stool and urine, his grandmother had called a local healer, who allegedly branded the toddler with an iron nail. The branding worsened the baby's condition, after which Dalapati took his son to hospital. His condition has improved since then. On June 24, the first-born of labourer couple Junesh Harijan and Gita Harijan in Kuntiguda village of Tentulikhunti block was allegedly branded by a traditional healer, Sunamani Das, after the baby stopped breast-feeding. The boy was branded with nails all over his belly. The administration’s two-month campaign, in response to the branding of 23 babies since December last year, saw over 4,375 traditional healers of Nabarangpur taking oath not to do anything that would endanger the lives of babies. The healers were specifically told that branding was not a treatment for sick babies. With no cases of baby branding reported after the onset of the Jyoti campaign, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik last month rewarded Nabarangpur District Collector Rashmita Panda with a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh. When contacted, Panda said a case had been lodged. “There are 100 such healers in the district who specialise in branding of babies. But as branding is a long-held belief here, it will take time to go. We will resume our campaign,” she said. Former child development project officer Manorama Majhi, who designed the training module for the Jyoti campaign, said it is near impossible to completely stop such practices. “Branding of babies has been a belief system of Nabarangpur. How can it suddenly stop? The government has to include traditional healers in its schemes,” she said.
