Anganwadi employee saves 20 children from bee attack; collapses and dies

BHOPAL: There are some who risk their own lives to save the lives of others. One such person is Kanchan Bai Meghwal, an Anganwadi worker. She sacrificed her own life to save the lives of 20 children. Kanchan Bai Meghwal was a cook in an Anganwadi in Neemuch of Madhya Pradesh.

The incident happened at the Anganwadi center in Madavada panchayat. A swarm of bees descended on children playing in the compound. Seeing this, she didn’t know what to do, but without wasting a single moment, Kanchan Bai rushed to the children after grabbing tarpaulins and mats lying nearby. She protected the children from the bees by covering them with the tarpaulins. Hundreds of bees stung Kanchan Bai all over her body, but she did not step back and saved the last child.

By the time the villagers rushed to help them, Kanchan Bai had collapsed. She was immediately taken to the Community Health Center but was declared dead. She was the sole support of her family. Her husband is paralysed and leaves behind a son and two daughters. When the body was brought to Ranpur village after postmortem on Tuesday, the villagers paid her a silent tribute.

A large beehive hanging from a tree near the Anganwadi still haunts the village. The only hand pump in the village is located near this tree. Fearing another attack, the locals have stopped drawing water. The villagers are demanding that the beehive be removed immediately and that financial assistance be provided to Kanchan Bai's family.