A 10-year-old boy, showing courage and presence of mind, scared away a large python after being bitten by it in Karnataka's Mannagudda. Sankalp G Pai, a Class 5 student of Canara School in Urwa, was on his way to a temple near his house on Wednesday evening when the snake, which came out from a sewage pipeline, caught hold of his right leg. Without losing his cool, the boy kicked the snake's head with his other leg shaking it off after a struggle, even as the python bit him to get a better grip.
Speaking to the Times of India, the boy's father Gopalakrishna, who works as a baker, said that Sankalp usually visits the Urvi Krishna Math located near his home and light lamps. To get to the math, he has to cross a stormwater drain, and it so happened that the mesh covering the drain had broken.
On Wednesday, when Sankalp was on his way to the math around 7 pm, he tried to cross the drain, unaware of the snake that had probably crept out of the drain. The python suddenly caught hold of Sankalp’s right leg. Gopalakrishna said that a struggle ensued for about five minutes and throughout, Sankalp tried to kick the python away with his left leg. After a while, the python released him and slid back into the pipe. Sankalp sustained injuries in his right leg but immediately alerted the people in the neighbourhood. The local people brought a snake catcher who rescued the python, which was still hiding inside the pipe.
The snake was later taken to the Pilikula Biological Park. The boy’s father said Sankalp’s snake bite wound is healing. The boy's presence of mind has become a topic of discussion on social media.
(With PTI inputs)