A woman’s blind belief that the snake is a “god creature” has led to her death.
Basanti Jena, (40), wife of Babu Jena of Adam-Maheshpur village under Mahanga police limit, nearly 70 km from here, died on Friday as she was repeatedly bitten by a cobra she was carrying on her shoulders, the police said on Saturday.
According to villagers, the woman and her nephew Krupasindhu stumbled upon the three-foot-long snake while worshipping a tree on their backyard on Friday morning. They thought that perhaps God, after having been pleased with their prayer, appeared in the snake form.
They caught hold of the reptile and carried it on their necks in turns and danced on the village road for hours. The snake bit the two repeatedly. While Basanti died on the spot, Krupasindhu was rushed to SCB Medical College in critical conditions.