Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The residents ofnbsp;a small locality in Howrah8217;s Domjur, 20 kms from Kolkata,nbsp;can still recall the events of October 12: a victory procession carrying a gigantic python is not a sight to be forgotten soon.
And they speak proudly of the courageous act of a local youthnbsp; 8212; Dheeraj Batabyalnbsp; 8212; who shielded the reptile with his body from a gang of locals intent on killing it. Over a fortnight after the incident, the python has finally found a safe home in Alipore Zoo.
Finally he dived and guarded the python with his own body from the blows that followed. 8220;But he got bitten for his pains and we panicked when we saw blood dripping from his chest and arms,8221; said his brother Manoj.
When the mob realised that Dheeraj would not budge, they agreed to hand the python over to the Forest Department.
The 22-kg snake was kept in a cage at Dheeraj8217;s house. The police were informed but it was 14 hours before forest officials took it away.
The python, the locals say, had been left behind by a group of snake-charmers who had been camping in the area around nine months ago. 8220;The police had picked up the snake charmers, suspecting them to be burglars. The snakes were released,8221; a resident said.
Quiet and submissive, 29-year-old Dheeraj is not a self-proclaimed 8220;wildlife lover8221;. But snakes always intrigued him. And to catch a glimpse of this python, he once waited on the roadside for four hours. 8220;I heard people saying that the python crosses the road after sundown. I tried to track it, but that proved impossible. So I knew that I had to save it this time,8221; Dheeraj said.
