Snakes haunt TVM Secretariat: Cop bitten, one found among office files

Thiruvananthapuram: A woman civil police officer on duty at the Secretariat was allegedly bitten by a snake. However, the hospital authorities have not confirmed whether it was indeed a snake bite. The officer, Ashitha, hailing from Ernakulam and serving with the Menamkulam Women’s Battalion, was on duty inside the Secretariat premises when she was bitten on her right leg. The incident occurred around 11 PM on Saturday night. By around 12 midnight, her colleagues rushed her to the emergency department of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital.

According to preliminary blood test results, venom has not entered her bloodstream. Hospital authorities have said she will be discharged after 24 hours of observation.

On Sunday evening around 6 PM, a Forest Department team caught a snake near the Secretariat’s North Gate during inspection. However, it remains unclear whether this was the same snake that bit the police officer. The police officer was bitten during a routine night patrol. It is suspected that due to poor lighting, she might have stepped on the snake. The bite was on the area covered by her socks, and there were wounds of snake teeth penetration.

Employees’ unions have long complained about the presence of poisonous creatures in the Secretariat compound due to the overgrown vegetation in several areas. They allege that the premises are only cleaned when complaints are raised. According to union representatives, snakes have been found five times in the last seven months. Just last week, snakes were found among files in the Water Resources Department’s office.

Snakes become a nightmare for Secretariat staff

Snakes are increasingly becoming a nightmare for Secretariat employees. Staff unions say that snake sightings inside the Secretariat have become common. In the last seven months alone, snakes have been caught six times. Overgrown bushes, debris, and stacks of decades-old files are blamed for attracting venomous creatures.

Meanwhile, there are allegations that the presence of snakes and incidents of staff getting bitten have become routine. On July 4, a snake was found between shelves in the Food Department’s C Section. The staff noticed it when they arrived in the morning, and a rescue team later caught the snake after a thorough search.