Rituraj Singh (left) and Santosh Kumar, the medical official who were held hostage by villagers in Bhilaipahari. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Dec. 8: After cerebral malaria led to the death of two children at Bhilaipahari yesterday, angry villagers took two doctors hostage till they received a word of assurance on the improvement of health facilities in the village.

The two doctors — Rituraj Singh and Santosh Kumar —were sent to the affected area on Monday after reports of the disease plaguing Bhilaipahari reached the district administration. They faced the villagers wrath immediately after their arrival.

Irate villagers took them hostage and demanded an explanation on why Bhilaipahari lacked adequate medical facilities.

The doctors were released around 4pm after an assurance came from the medical team that better facilities would be provided to the villagers.

“Medical officials reached our village around 10am and told us that they were here to take blood samples of those suffering from cerebral malaria. Angry villagers gheraoed the medical officers and later took them hostage. The blood testing drive started only after doctor Ashish Sheit arrived,” said a villager.

“The village is under the grip of cerebral malaria for the past four months. Yesterday, we informed the district civil surgeon about our condition but no one was sent to help to us. The medical team was sent only after two children lost their lives,” said an angry villager Pintu Dutta.

The administration assured villagers that it would start cleanliness drives to check the spread of the disease. Around 40 patients gave their blood samples today, of which four were tested positive.

Earlier, on Monday, brothers Rama (5) and Gopal (8) died after prolonged illness. The grieved parents Lakhindar Chalak and Sanchuri Chalak left the village last evening. District civil surgeon Deepali Day claimed that the exact cause of death has not been established yet.