A shocking news has come out from Kandhamal district of Odisha. Here in Musimaha village, a four-year-old child died of suffocation after swallowing a small toy from a packet of chips.
The deceased has been identified as Bigil Pradhan, son of farmer Ranjit Pradhan (40). The family had given the child chips and after that did not pay any attention to him. The child put the chip toy in his mouth and it got stuck in his throat.
Family members said that Bigil had returned from the Anganwadi center on Tuesday. He insisted on eating chips. His father took him to the market and gave him chips worth Rs 10 to eat. There was a plastic toy in the packet.
the toy was found in chips
This toy also came into the hands of the child who was eating chips while eating. He placed it in his mouth and started chewing. The toy got stuck in his throat. The child started suffocating. When the family members noticed, they made many efforts to take out the toy. However, all efforts failed. Bigil suddenly became unconscious. His parents took him to Daringbadi Community Health Centre, where doctors declared him dead.
what did the doctor say
Medical officer in-charge of CHC, Jakesh Samantara, said that the toy had got stuck in the windpipe of the child’s neck, due to which he was having difficulty in breathing. He said the child might have thought the toy was edible and tried to swallow it. Unfortunately, it clogged his windpipe, causing suffocation. He said that children consider these toys as edible items. Food companies should stop putting such things inside the packets.
Postmortem was not done
A post-mortem was not conducted due to the parents’ refusal, but circumstantial evidence suggested the cause of death was suffocation. Police said no FIR has been registered in the matter. Similar incidents were reported in Vizianagaram (October 2020) and West Godavari (November 2017) districts of Andhra Pradesh, where two children died after swallowing toys in breakfast packets.
doctors advice
Ganjam Chief District Medical and Public Health Officer (CDM&PHO) SK Nayak said it is dangerous not only for children but also for adults. He further said that if any such foreign object gets stuck in the trachea or food pipe, it can cause suffocation and death. Private doctor Dr. Subhash Sahu urged the officials to take action. He said the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) should strictly monitor packaged snacks and ban toys inside packets. Strict action should be taken against companies doing this.