Rabies claims state-level kabaddi player's life after he ignored a dog bite

A state-level kabaddi player, Brijesh Solanki, passed away due to rabies in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr. According to reports, he was bitten by a dog he rescued three months back from a drain.

He, however, ignored that bite and did not go for a rabies vaccination, thinking that it was a minor injury, which later troubled him and caused his death.

His coach, Praveen Kumar, told, “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 he didn’t take the vaccine," as reported by the Times of India.

Brijesh complained of numbness during a practice session last week and was taken to a district hospital, but his condition worsened, and he was transferred to a private hospital in Noida.

A few videos before his death show Brijesh in severe pain, and in one clip, he is seen enduring a violent rabies attack.

Sandeep Kumar, his brother, claimed that Brijesh was denied treatment at multiple government hospitals.

“All of a sudden, he was afraid of water and was showing symptoms of rabies, but we were denied treatment at the government hospitals in Khurja, Aligarh, and even Delhi. It was only in Noida that doctors confirmed he was likely infected with rabies. Brijesh died on Saturday while we were taking him to a faith healer in Mathura," he told TOI.

Brijesh was a resident of Farana village in Bulandshahr. The entire village assembled to bid a final farewell to the beloved kabaddi player.