Jharsuguda: A villager who was undergoing treatment at Jharsuguda district headquarters hospital (DHH) after he fell into a bonfire while trying to save his two minor children from a snake that had slithered into their house, succumbed to the burn injuries Saturday night, after an eight-day battle for life.
The deceased was identified as Dilu Naik of Santara village under Talapatia panchayat of Sadar block in this district.
A row erupted over his death in the hospital premises. The Jharsuguda Ekata Mancha alleged that there was utter negligence in Dilu’s treatment at the Jharsuguda DHH, resulting in his demise.
According to reports, a snake had slithered into the house of Dilu while the family members were inside the house busy doing their work.
Dilu spotted the reptile slithering towards his two children who were playing nearby. In his bid to save the two children, the man ran towards them and grabbed the two away from the snake.
While he successfully saved the children, his feet slipped and he accidentally fell into the hearth in the kitchen and suffered burn injuries.
Family members then scared away the snake and rushed the critically injured Dilu to the district hospital where he was admitted into the burns ward.
However, it was alleged that the ward was devoid of air-conditioning and there was no fan either. He was treated there for eight days. Saturday afternoon, his condition worsened.
Though the family informed the doctors and nurses on duty for urgent care, no one came to attend to him for a long while. A doctor came in at the last minute and gave him four injections, and this proved fatal, family members said.