Balurghat, Sept. 17: Two boys died of snakebite in a South Dinajpur village this morning after their relatives took them to witch doctors instead of straightaway admitting them to hospital for shots of anti-venom serum.

“Bolo Singh, 10, and Ranjit Singh, 18 months, of Mollahar village in Harirampur died because of blind superstition of the villagers,” said Animesh Lahiri, the district secretary of the Paschim Banga Vigyan Manch. “We have sent a team to the area to create awareness among the people.”

The village is located 85km from Balurghat town.

Kartik Singh said Bolo was the son of his sister-in-law. After her death a few years ago, Bolo’s father, Anil, had left his son with the Singhs and gone to Delhi.

“Bolo was sleeping on a bed with my grandson, Ranjit, last night. Around 7.30am today, Bolo woke up screaming,” said Kartik.

“We found a fang mark on his right forearm and took him to two local witch doctors for treatment. When he did not recover, we took him to an ayurvedic practitioner, but could not save him,” Kartik added.

Bolo’s body was taken to his father’s village in the Bangshihari police station area and cremated there.

By this time, Ranjit’s left arm, too, had started swelling and had begun to get darker. He was also taken to the local witch doctor and only when things did not improve after much chanting and sprinkling of water that he was taken to the Harirampur block health centre.

“The doctors there administered anti-venom serum and referred him to the North Dinajpur district hospital in Raiganj, which is closer than Balurghat,” said Kartik.

However, Ranjit died on way to Raiganj. Kartik said they would take the body to the block health centre to get a death certificate saying that the child died of snakebite. The district administration pays a compensation of Rs 20,000 to the next of kin if someone dies of snakebite or in a natural calamity.

However, the medical officer at the block health centre, Manas Mistri, said: “As boy died outside the hospital, we will have to call police to register a case of unnatural death when they bring the body back. We will also have to send the body for post-mortem .”