Jhabua (Madhya Pradesh): Superstition claimed one more life in tribal-dominated Jhabua district. According to reports, a woman was tortured by a woman tantric for three days in the name of treating her infertility. After her condition deteriorated, family rushed her to hospital where doctors declared her brought dead.
Jhabua SP Agam Jain said that acting on complaint of victim’s husband, police booked woman tantric under Section 304 of the IPC and arrested her. Police are waiting for post-mortem report to ascertain actual cause of death.
According to reports, Prakash Damore and Manjeeta (34) of Nagarwad village were childless even after 16 years of marriage. Prakash took her to a tantric at Ranapur village.
The family members believed that the tantric had supernatural powers and could help them with infertility issue. They hoped that tantric would help them enjoy parenthood.
After reaching Ranapur, tantric told Manjeeta’s in-laws that she was possessed by some evil spirit and hence was unable to conceive.
In the name of freeing her from evil spirits, the tantric kept her chained for three days and tortured her. On the third day, when Manjeeta became unconscious and failed to respond, the accused tantric asked her in-laws to take her to hospital.
By the time the family brought her to hospital, she was already dead. Doctors declared her dead-on arrival. The body was handed over to the family after the PM on Thursday.
The doctors who performed the post-mortem said that there are injury marks on the body, but the cause of death was not clear, and it would be ascertained only after getting a detailed post-mortem report.
The victim's husband, Prakash Damore, said that the accused tantric assaulted his wife for three days. She managed to survive for the first two days and regained consciousness, but on the third day, she failed to regain consciousness.
Damore said that when he took his wife to the tantric, he said that an evil spirit had possessed his wife, and this spirit would have to be taken out.
