14 December,2010 06:39 AM IST | | Akela
Childhoodu00a0curiosity cost an eight-year-old boy his life on Saturday evening.
Pawan Raja Shabbu (8) and his friend Pappu (7) were playing in their neighbourhood in Janata Chawl, Dharavi, when they chanced upon an unusual-looking plant called Gajar Gavat (Parthenium hysterophorus or the Congress Grass, thus named because of the tiny white-capped flowers).
They ate the leaves of the plant and Pawan immediately lost consciousness.
"I saw the boys holding some leaves in their hands and playing in the street. I saw Pawan lose consciousness and rushed to his aid. His tongue had already swollen up by then," said Ganesh Sonar, Pawan's neighbour.
Pappu, who was also feeling nauseous, raised an alarm and Pawan's parents rushed the duo to a private doctor, who asked them to go to Sion Hospital.
Pawan died during treatment at the hospital while Pappu is out of danger.
Confirming Pawan's death, sub-inspector Yashwant Mahangde of Shahu Nagar police station, said, "We are waiting for the postmortem report."
The police visited the area and cut the plant to prevent further harm to children.
Pawan's mother, Kamalamma, was too distraught to talk. Pawan, a Std II student in a BMC-run school, was her only son.
Congress Grass
Congress grass is among the seven most devastating weeds of the world.
u00a0
In vernacular Indian languages, it is also called broom brush, chatak chandni, gajar gavat, gajar buti or gajar ghas, gandhi buti, macherla kampa, osadi, pandhari phul, pittchi machipatri or white top
