Probe ordered after bride-to-be dies following reaction to turmeric paste

Khargone: Twenty-one-year-old Rakhi would never have imagined that the turmeric paste that was being applied to her during her haldi ceremony on April 22, four days from her wedding, would be her last ceremony.

Hours after the ritual at her home near Kasrawad bus stand in Khargone district, Rakhi’s throat began to swell, her lips puffed up and red rashes appeared all over her body after turmeric and chiksa (a fragrant substance mixed with turmeric) had been applied to her.

“We rushed her to district hospital during the night, where she was admitted to ICU,” said her father, Gaju Nath. The following morning, doctors referred her to MY Hospital in Indore, reportedly citing the absence of equipment needed to examine her throat. Tests including X-ray and ECG were conducted. “Her throat condition continued to worsen and the swelling on her face did not subside,” Gaju Nath said.

The family then shifted Rakhi to a private hospital in Gumasta Nagar area of Indore. “After some treatment there, the hospital staff told us that the treatment would be very expensive and that since we were poor, we should take her back to MY Hospital,” he alleged. “We were taking our daughter back to MY Hospital when she died on the way,” he said.

Ironically, she was the only one among roughly 15 people at the ceremony to fall ill.

The day the family was to hold the mandap ceremony became the day of Rakhi’s funeral. The ceremonial torans her family had hung at the entrance still remain. No postmortem examination was conducted before her last rites were performed.

Kasrawad police station in-charge Rajendra Burman said that no information regarding the matter had been received at the police station.

Khargone chief medical and health officer, Dr Daulat Singh Chauhan, confirmed that a probe has been ordered. A team led by Kasrawad block medical officer has been directed to inquire into the incident. The health department officials visited the family’s residence.

The incident prompted Khargone collector Bhavya Mittal to direct food safety officials to launch a special inspection drive across the district and collect samples of turmeric and other spices for laboratory testing.

Chief food safety officer Khargone HL Awasya said that samples were also collected from shops in and around Kasrawad after the incident came to light.