The incident occurred on the afternoon of 25/7 in Bettiah village, Bihar, while Govinda was playing near his home. According to his family, a cobra slithered towards him and coiled around his arm. The boy then bit the snake, killing it.

Govinda’s grandmother, Mateshwari Devi, said the family initially thought he might have hit the snake with something before biting it.

Govinda lost consciousness immediately afterward and was rushed to a hospital in Bettiah.

Govinda is conscious and under observation at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Bettiah on the afternoon of 25/7, after biting a cobra to death. Photo: India Today

Govinda is conscious and under observation at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Bettiah on the afternoon of 25/7, after biting a cobra to death. Photo: India Today

Doctor Saurabh Kumar described the case as very rare. The snake died from the child's bite. The boy was also bitten, but miraculously, the amount of venom wasn't enough to be fatal, only causing him to faint.

"Prompt medical attention saved Govinda's life," Dr. Kumar said, adding that the boy’s health was stable.

India has recorded several cases of young children biting snakes to death during attacks.

In 8/2024, another one-year-old boy in Bihar also bit a snake to death. The boy mistook the snake for a toy and grabbed it with his teeth when it approached him. His family took him to the hospital for a check-up, but he was unharmed. The snake was identified as a non-venomous Brahminy blind snake.

Similarly, in 8/2022, eight-year-old Deepak in Chhattisgarh was bitten by a cobra that had wrapped itself around his arm. To defend himself, Deepak bit the snake twice, killing it. He was taken to the hospital and given antivenom. Doctors determined it was a "dry bite," meaning the snake hadn't injected venom.

Minh Phuong (India Today, Indiatimes)