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Journalism of Courage
ROURKELA, JUNE 28: A 55-year-old woman has been sacrificed to ward off the influence of evil spirits on a family at the border village of Gadapur under Bisra police station, about 30 km from here, on June 23, a delayed report received here yesterday said.After recovery of the headless body of Parbati Badaik, the victim of the brutal practice, Bisra police led by Sundergarh superintendent of police Sudhansu Shekhar Sarangi exhumed her severed head from a field at Rungi village under Manoharpur police station in Bihar.
Four persons of a Bhumihar family Thakur Singh, Binod Singh, Ramlal Singh and Kamal Singh were arrested in this connection.
Talking to The Indian Express, the Sarangi said that Thakur Singh confessed to Parbati’s to appease the village goddess. “Since it was a practice with our family to offer human blood to the goddess to invoke her blessings and to ward off the influence of evil spirits, we committed the crime,” Thakur told the police adding, “We have been passing a very badphase and all efforts to overcome it proved futile.”
On the fateful day, Thakur along with his three family members came to Parbati’s house, barely one km from their village Rungi. Taking advantage of her husband’s absence, they dragged her to an isolated place and beheaded her. They collected the blood in a container and fled with the head, the police said.
Bisra Police reached the spot and traced the head at Thakur’s field on June 24. A case has been registered.
