Mehendi mishap rocks state

SNS & PTI

BURDWAN/MALDA/SILIGURI/BEHRAMPORE, 21 SEPT: A terrible mehendi tragedy has taken its toll on women and children all over the state on the occasion of Id. Seven women, including two housewives, began to vomit with eruption of rashes on the skin today after they applied mehendi on the eve of Id at Kalyanpur in Burdwan district. They were admitted to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital.“We bought readymade pouches of mehendi from local markets and suffered from skin rashes and vomiting after applying them on the arms,” Rubita Chowdhury, a college student, admitted in BMCH said.“The patients were being administered saline and anti-allergic drugs. It's a mass psychogenic illness. The rumour of a death from similar symptoms fuelled the panic,” Dr Om Prakash Singh of the BMCH said.Reports of similar incidents reached from Asansol, Raniganj, Jamuria of Burdwan district and they were treated at the local hospitals.Hundreds of panic-stricken women and girls rushed to the hospitals and nursing homes on the eve of Id since last midnight following repeated caution from mosques in Burdwan and Bankura districts.Sheikh Motin, a maulana of an ancient mosque in Churulia village in Jamuria PS in Burdwan, was heard asking those women and girls who had put mehendi on their palms to wash their hands. Mr Motin told The Statesman: “I have been told by my counterparts in Asansol and local Hijalgara village to warn the women as a mess was apprehended.” He added: “Even we were told about certain casualties in Dhanbad and its adjoining localities like Katras over phone.”Police helped midnight transportation of the panicked girls and women to the Asansol SD Hospital. According to Dr Abu Ershad, CMOH, Burdwan: “It was just a rumour and the patients who rushed to the hospitals didn’t have any specific complaint.” The women within a few minutes of being cautioned by the mosques complained of paralytic symptoms in their palms and certain itching. Dr Ershad said: “It's just a resemblance to mass hysteria which didn’t have any link with medical science.” The hospitals, however, released the patients this morning. Seven girls and women were admitted to two different hospitals in Howrah today when they fell ill after using mehendi on their hands. Five of them were admitted to Uluberia Hospital while the rest two were admitted to Howrah State General Hospital.Meanwhile, hundreds of Muslim women were treated at Chanchal rural hospital in Malda after they felt “uneasy” applying “mehendi” on their hands. The victims had used “kulfi mehendi,” made of chemical bought from local markets.Nearly 250 women went to the hospital for treatment. The condition of two victims was serious. They had to be admitted and were on drip. Similarly, one Mrs Bajna Bibi stated experiencing similar sufferings and fell unconscious retching. She too was admitted.In Murshidabad at least one hundred people were effected by the same. The incident took place at Khargram area of Khargram block in Murshidabad. Fifty people were admitted to a local hospital at Khargram.