Farmer dies after snakebite as family opts for Tantric treatment

Kanpur: A farmer died in Gharampur village of Bheetargaon development block in Kanpur after his family opted for treatment by a ‘tantric’ instead of rushing him to a hospital following a snakebite.Farmer Gyani Yadav was grazing cattle in his field on Saturday evening when a venomous snake bit him on the foot near a neem tree. After learning about the incident, his family members, instead of taking him for medical treatment, turned to faith healers and tantrics.As the ritual of exorcism continued late into the night, the venom spread through his body. When his condition worsened, the family eventually rushed him to a hospital, but he died due to delay in receiving proper treatment.On Sunday morning, family members informed Saadh police about the incident. Police reached the spot and sent the body for post-mortem.Chief medical officer Dr Haridutt Nemi advised that victims should be taken immediately to the nearest govt hospital for anti-venom treatment, cautioning against relying on faith healing.