DIBRUGARH, June 13 - Two days after 22-year-old Deepak Dungdung of Rajgarh Bhalukmara was bitten and killed by a poisonous snake in his brother-in-laws village at Shalmari Hatigarh, the body of the ill-fated youth was laid to rest yesterday after attempts to resurrect the corpse by quacks failed.
The superstitious belief is that quacks can resurrect the dead, if caused by snake bites.
The boy was bitten by a snake at around 7 pm on Saturday evening. He initially applied some herbal medicine, but fainted after two hours. The family members called for quacks, but since neighbours insisted on taking the boy to the hospital, he was rushed to a Government hospital in Rajgarh, though the doctors present there reportedly referred the patient to the Assam Medical College and Hospital at Dibrugarh.
The family members allegedly ignored the doctor�s advice and took the patient back home. The boy�s body had become stiff and cold by then. Neighbours said the boy had breathed his last at around 12 midnight. A few superstitious people influenced the family members to invite quacks again to restore life into the dead boy.
Several quacks took turns to perform what they called �mantra�, though nothing changed. The corpse was already beginning to emit a foul smell by Sunday afternoon. By evening, all the quacks had left, the neighbours informed.
