Health worker attacked with acid in Sankrail during survey

A female health worker in Sankrail of Howrah sustained serious burn injury when an owner of a house poured acid on her head when she along with her other team members were conducting a door-to-door campaign on vector borne diseases in the area on Tuesday.

The victim was rushed to a nursing home with severe burning sensation. The owner Biplab Manna was arrested by police.

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The incident occurred around 11 a.m. when a vector control team, including three women from South Sankrail gram panchayat reached Biplab’s house at Barbagan Mannapara and wanted to know whether anyone of his family had fever or flu-like symptoms.

The team rushed to the house because dengue larvae were reportedly found at the owner’s residential premises.

There was a heated exchange of words between the vector control team and the house owner when the former tried to make him aware of dengue and malaria diseases and advised him about maintaining cleanliness so that mosquito larvae could not breed. Suddenly, he allegedly poured acid in the head and back of one of the women members.

The victim fell on the ground and was seen writhing with burning sensation on the spot. Police from nearby Sankrail police station rushed to the spot soon after they were informed about the incident. They arrested Biplab on the basis of a complaint lodged against him.

The health workers panicked with the attack on one of their female members and they demanded adequate security from the administration particularly when they visit residences.