Bitten by venomous snake while defecating in open, Arnia boy dies

Open defecation now fatal too!

JAMMU: While Akhshay Kumar blockbuster 'Toilet', or Vidya Balan and Cinestar Amitabh Bachan's 'Darwaza Band Karo' advertisements on electronic media under nationwide Swachh Bharat Campaign have succeeded fairly enough in portraying how unhygienic or embarrassing open defection is, a young boy in the outskirts of city had to learn it more tragic way, losing his life because of open defecation.
The Prime Minister as well as state governments have been appealing people to give up the culture of open defecation which is not just unhygienic and embarrassing for the women folk in particular but is threat to one's life too, as proved in this case which took place in Jammu's Arnia village.
An 18-year-old boy, Sohan Lal died of Multiple Organs Dysfunction (MOD) when a highly venomous (Haemotoxic) snake bit him on his left arm when he had gone for open defecation.
Shell shocked Raj Kumar, father of the deceased boy told The News Now that on October 2, his son Sohan Lal (18) woke up early in the morning to attend the nature's call and went to nearby open fields.
Kumar said when Sohan sat down, his left foot accidentally fell on a poisonous snake which instantly bitten his son on his left arm, leaving him in a state of unconsciousness.
"Some passerby noticed my son in unconscious state in the fields and accordingly shifted him to the local hospital, where doctors, after preliminary treatment, referred him to Super Specialty Hospital (SSH), Jammu," he said.
According to Kumar, he is a poor labourer. So, he doesn't have money to construct toilets in his household.
On being told that government is constructing toilets free of cost, he said, "We're poor people. We don't have any knowledge about the government schemes."
He, however, said, "If government is lending the helping hand to construct toilets, I will definitely construct a toilet at my home."
Sadly, his son, Sohan Lal (now deceased) could not see the toilet to be constructed at his home. With heavy heart, Kumar said that after battling for life for about 10 days at SSH Jammu, he breathed his last on October 12.
A doctor of SSH, Jammu told The News Now that Sohan was bitten by highly venomous snake that led to Cellulitis (inflammation of subcutaneous connective tissue).
"Due to Cellulitis, he had developed injury in kidney. We tried our level best to save the patient but he died of Multiple Organ Dysfunction," the doctor said.