A tragic incident took place in Jharkhand's Lohardaga district after a snake entered the girls' hostel of a private residential school late at night, killing a 12-year-old student and causing three others to be seriously injured.
The incident occurred on Tuesday night at Sanvasira Higher Secondary Residential School in Rocho Mahuatoli village. The students had had dinner and were asleep in their hostel room when the snake slithered inside at 11 pm.
The reptile first bit Varsha Oraon, whose screams woke up the other girls in the room. Before anyone could react or remove the snake, it attacked three more students— Anisha Oraon, Manisha Kumari and Fulmania Oraon.
Teachers and school staff rushed the four girls to Lohardaga Sadar Hospital immediately for emergency treatment. But doctors declared 12-year-old Varsha Oraon, a resident of Salgi Alaudi Nava Toli, dead on arrival.
As of now Fulmania Oraon is still in critical condition and has been admitted into the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi for further treatment. The other two students, Anisha Oraon and Manisha Kumari, are being treated at Lohardaga Sadar Hospital, where doctors are closely monitoring their condition.
The tragedy has rocked the local community. Early on, people were in the hospital and the community of the neighborhood, and the family members, relatives, and residents were in the cemetery, and we could hear the crying for the girl and the girls that were injured.
Police have launched an inquiry into the incident. Kudu Police Station in-charge Ajit Kumar said the authorities had been informed and legal procedures were being carried out.
Such incidents have also raised questions about security measures in residential schools, most particularly in areas of forests and fields where snakes are more common. Local residents have asked school authorities to beef up hostel security, take inspections on campus buildings regularly and take preventive action to keep venomous reptiles out of students’ hands.
As we investigate, the investigation will continue to ensure proper treatment of injured students and whether there were any measures that were taken at the hostel to prevent such an incident at all as to why a tragic one occurs.
Varsha Oraon’s death has cast a shadow on the school and the surrounding community and the dangers of snake bites in rural areas and the need for early emergency response and preventive safety measures.
