After three family members died from consuming 'poison', their young children and families are facing serious problems.
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In the first week of last Chaitra, Suresh and Bahuran Khatik of Gularia-11 Oripur reached the Indian market Laukahi on the border. Laukahi market is two kilometers away from their home. After returning from Laukahi on the evening of Chaitra 6, the brothers went to their respective rooms and slept. Suddenly, Suresh felt unwell at night.
When the family inquired, 36-year-old Suresh said that he had consumed a substance called 'Corex' in Laukahi market, his nephew Sunny Dewal said. 'After that, my uncle did not regain consciousness,' he said, 'Bahuran uncle also fainted along with him.' He said that since both of them were in critical condition, an ambulance was called at 3 am on Chaitra 7 and they were taken to the Teaching Hospital in Kohalpur, Banke. During treatment, doctors declared Suresh dead at 8 am.
Bahuran was referred to Kanti Arogya Hospital in Nepalgunj because there were no vacant ICU beds in the hospital in Kohalpur, said Bahuran's wife Priyansa. 'Even after three days of treatment, he did not recover, he died on Chaitra 9,' she said, 'Even after borrowing three lakhs from relatives for treatment, I could not save him.'
Suresh has daughters aged 8 and 2. His wife Bina is 9 months pregnant. Bina told about the ordeal she had to endure during childbirth. 'I have two small daughters,' she said, 'I am also in this situation, how will I raise the child? I am stressed.' Bahuran has a 5-year-old daughter and a 1.5-year-old son. His wife is also 3 months pregnant. The Khatik family is currently in mourning. ‘Bahuran died of consuming an unknown poison,’ said Dr. Roma Bohra, director of Kanti Arogya Hospital. ‘The postmortem report will reveal what kind of poison it was.’ She said that it will take some time for the postmortem report to come.’
On Chaitra 10, Sakir Khan of Uchwalalpur, Gularia-12, was found unconscious in bed. He was spitting out fizz from his mouth and was immediately taken to Bardiya Hospital for treatment, said his wife Sabnam. ‘They asked him to take him to Nepalgunj in an unconscious state,’ she said. ‘We tried to get money to take him to Nepalgunj, but nothing worked. He died that same evening.’ According to Sabnam, her husband is a drug addict. ‘I came to know a few months ago that my husband was using drugs,’ she said. ‘Despite repeated reminders, he could not get rid of the addiction.’ She has three daughters and a son.
By the time Shakir was brought to the hospital, his condition had become critical, said Dr. Subhash Pandey, head of Bardiya Hospital. ‘We tried to breathe through his mouth as his airway was not working,’ he said. ‘We referred him to Nepalgunj as his condition was serious and he had to be kept in the ICU.’ He said that the initial condition of the patient was consistent with symptoms of poisoning. ‘It cannot be confirmed until the forensic report comes,’ he said. ‘The sample has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Kathmandu through the police for a forensic report. It may take up to two weeks to get the report.’
All three deceased had similar symptoms. Doctors say that they may have consumed poisonous substances as they were snorting, their tongues and hands looked black. After three people died within a week with the same symptoms, there was a sensation not only in the family but also in the village. The family is in crisis after the death of the head of the household, who had been raising the family by working as a daily wage laborer. The family is worried about how to raise the children.
Narayan Khatik of Gularia-11 said that drugs are being sold and distributed openly in the border Indian markets of Balaigaun and Laukahi. ‘The youth here go to the border Indian markets to consume drugs,’ he said, ‘It is necessary to identify such youth and stop them.’ Shaukat Ali of Gularia-11 said that the number of drug addicts and dealers is increasing in the district. He said that recently this has started causing deviation and financial crisis in the family. ‘The situation has become a disaster for families,’ he said, ‘the wage earners are the ones who are affected.’
DSP Pramish Bista, the information officer of the district police, said that 111 cases related to drugs have been registered till the second week of Chaitra of the current fiscal year. ‘In which 151 people have been taken into custody and brought under investigation,’ he said, ‘The police are tightening the border checkpoints to control drugs. They are conducting public awareness programs in schools and communities to check suspicious people and to control drugs.’
Earlier, its consumption and trade was carried out from the border town of Balaigaun. The number of traders and consumers has increased in the Laukahi market in the last 6 years. But the police do not have data on the number of people who died from drug use in the district in the last 5 years. "The cause of the death of three youths in Chait cannot be confirmed until the postmortem report comes," DSP Bista said. "Even the report is late." Police say that people between the ages of 15 and 40 in the district are addicted to drugs. Rajendra Prasad Dhital, a professor at Babai Multiple Campus, says that youths are getting into such a quagmire due to their association with drug users and lack of awareness. He said that parents also fall into addiction because their children are not taking care of them.
