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22-year-old Kabaddi player passes away after allegedly being bitten by a stray puppy
A state-level kabaddi star left this world after dismissing a stray puppy’s bite; the small wound turned out to be catastrophic. His passage has initiated a rabies awareness campaign in his hometown.
Brijesh Solanki, a 22-year-old gold medallist from Farana village, Bulandshahr district in Uttar Pradesh, had big dreams of entering the Pro Kabaddi League. In early May, he rescued a stray puppy from a drain and suffered what appeared to be a harmless nip on his forearm. Mistaking the pain for a routine sports strain, he skipped the post-exposure immunisation.
Shortly before his untimely departure, numbness crippled his limbs and a fear of water emerged. After transfers between district and private hospitals, his condition worsened, only to come to an end as he was on the way to a faith healer.
His coach, Praveen Kumar, recalls the incident
What began as an act of compassion turned fatal when Brijesh ignored the bite’s potential danger. His coach, Praveen Kumar, recalled the incident vividly: “Brijesh mistook the pain in his arm for a regular kabaddi injury. The bite seemed minor and he didn’t think it was serious, so didn’t take the vaccine,” as reported by the Times of India.
That single decision set off a chain of events no one could reverse. As his condition deteriorated, Brijesh’s family raced from one government hospital to another but met closed doors. His brother, Sandeep Kumar, described the ordeal to the publication.
“All of a sudden, he was afraid of water and was showing symptoms of rabies, but we were denied treatment at govt hospitals in Khurja, Aligarh, and even Delhi,” he stated. Only at a private facility in Noida were doctors able to diagnose rabies and offer palliative care.
From grief to prevention
News of his passing on June 28 spurred health officials into action. On July 1, teams visited Farana village, raising awareness as they vaccinated 29 residents.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Sunil Kumar Dohre stressed the urgency of prompt treatment: “People should get themselves examined at a government hospital in case of any dog, monkey, or other animal bite,” he warned. The campaign now aims to avert similar tragedies by raising public awareness.
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