Sec 42 woman bitten by snake in kitchen, dies

Chandigarh, September 29

A 47-year-old woman died of a snake bite at Sector 42 on Wednesday night. The victim, Harmeet Kaur, had gone to keep utensils in the kitchen after dinner when she was bitten on a foot.

The victim is survived by her husband and two children — a daughter and a son.

Serpent spotted earlier too

• A snake had entered the victim’s house around 15 days ago as well
• The victim who was washing clothes noticed it and raised the alarm

Her husband Harjeet Singh said they had dinner around 11 pm after which the family started watching a movie. “Around 11.30 pm, my wife went to the kitchen when a venomous snake bit her,” he said. The victim cried out loudly, following which the family members rushed to the kitchen. “I saw blood trickling down her feet. Initially, I took it for rat bite and applied antiseptic, but the pain didn’t subside,” said Harjeet. The family decided to take her to the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16, but she fell unconscious and died on the way. Harjeet said his wife died within 30 minutes of the incident.

This is not the first time a snake had been spotted in the victim’s house. Around 15 days ago, the victim had seen a serpent slither away. “The snake was about to enter the house, when my wife noticed it and we moved it out,” said Harjeet. — TNS

Wild growth near house

Area councillor Jasbir Singh Bunty blamed the authorities for not clearing the forest area near houses. “There is a forest area near houses, which has tall grass and dense shrubbery from where snakes come and enter houses. The administration should ensure the wild growth is removed regularly to avoid such incidents,” he said.