As a bizarre way of curing persistent cough and cold, a 4-month old girl from Rajasthan was branded with an iron rod on her stomach.

A four-month-old girl was hospitalised in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district where she was branded with an iron rod to cure her of a severe cough and cold, police said today. The baby, from Rama Kheda village in Bhilwara, was rushed to Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Bhilwara after her health deteriorated. A police officer said the girl was apparently branded a couple of days ago, but the matter came to light today when the doctors were informed about it.

The girl was branded on her stomach and was undergoing treatment, a doctor said. The girl is suffering from pneumonia and congenital heart disease. Cases of superstitious practices like branding to cure from cold and cough is common in Bhilwara. She is undergoing treatment in the ICU ward, in-charge paediatrics at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, Dr O P Agal said.

A case has been registered under various IPC sections against unidentified accused on the complaint lodged by the Child Welfare Committee and further investigation is on, SHO Karoi police station Sunil Chaudhary said. He said that this is not the first case in Bhilwara where superstition have even snuffed out the life of innocent children. Last March, a 10-month-old infant girl lost her life to superstitious practice when she was branded with an iron rod allegedly by her grandfather to cure her of a severe cough and cold.