Kolkata School Snakebite: 7-Year-Old Discharged, Mother Seeks Assurance

A seven-year-old Class I student of Mitra Institution in Bhawanipore, Kolkata, has been discharged from SSKM Hospital, three days after a snakebite on the school premises left him in intensive care. But while the child is recovering, his mother is asking a question that goes beyond her own son: how safe are children inside the places where parents trust them to be protected?

Dripta Pal was bitten at around 8.45am on Monday during school hours. He was taken to SSKM Hospital by school authorities and administered anti-venom before being shifted to the paediatric ICU. Doctors had suspected a venomous snake, with earlier reports indicating the possibility of a Russell’s viper. By Wednesday evening, Dripta was well enough to leave the hospital, although his mother, Dipti Dutta, said he continues to experience pain in the bitten hand and has been advised further tests to check his kidney function, along with a follow-up on Monday.

For Dutta, however, discharge from hospital does not mean the incident is over. She has asked the school for a written assurance that its premises will be cleaned and sanitised twice a month. According to her, the school informed the family that sanitisation had already been carried out, but she does not want safety measures to be limited to the immediate aftermath of the incident. Her demand is simple: that precautions should  continue even after public attention moves on.

The concern is understandable in the context of what happened after the bite. Forest officials inspected the school premises on two consecutive days but did not find the snake. The civic authorities also cleaned the premises, while the school submitted a report to the education department outlining measures taken following the incident. A multi-agency inspection also examined CCTV footage, but the snake could not be located. Pest- and snake-control treatment was subsequently carried out at the school.

The school has maintained that its staff acted quickly once the incident was reported. Headmaster Raja Dey said teachers rushed the child to SSKM, and parents, police and forest officials were informed. He also said this was the first reported snakebite incident at the school.

The episode has opened a wider conversation across Kolkata’s schools. This was the second reported school snakebite in the city within a week. On August 18, a Class III student at a private school in East Kolkata was bitten by a snake and discharged the following day after treatment. The incidents have prompted several schools, particularly those operating from older or heritage buildings, to strengthen inspections, pest control and student-safety measures.

Experts have also cautioned against panic. Herpetologist Anirban Chaudhuri, who works with the forest department, told The Times of India that encounters with venomous snakes deep inside Kolkata are relatively uncommon, but recommended sensitising teachers, staff and students about what measures to take in case of  a snake encounter or snakebite. Other schools have begun advising children to stay away from isolated corners, thick vegetation and dark corridors and to immediately inform teachers if they spot a snake.

For a seven-year-old, the incident may eventually become a frightening memory. For his mother, it has become a demand for something more lasting than reassurance: a system that makes sure the next child does not have to be lucky enough to survive.

Dripta is home. The concern now is whether the safety measures around himand every other child at every school will remain in place long after the headlines disappear.