A three-year-old baby girl was killed on Sunday, allegedly while a self-claimed godman at Ajjikyatanahalli in Holalkere taluk of Chitradurga district attempted to “ward off evil forces”.
Rakesh, who claimed to have the skills to ward off evil by invoking a local deity, allegedly beat up the girl, killing her in the process.
Poorvika, the victim, was the daughter of Praveen and Shalini. Recently, the couple apparently noticed some behavioural changes in her. Praveen, who runs a grocery shop in the village, shared his worry about his daughter’s health with another villager, Parashuram. Parashuram suggested that Praveen seek the help of his brother, Rakesh, to treat the child’s “problem”.
Praveen, in his complaint to the police, said that on Parashuram’s advice, he and his wife took the baby to Rakesh’s place on Sunday morning. The accused took the baby inside his thatched hut after asking the parents to wait outside. They could hear the baby cry inside. A few minutes later, Rakesh came out with the baby on his shoulder and took her to a nearby tank, where he performed a puja before handing her over to the parents. The couple took the baby home and noticed that she was not responding. They took her to a hospital, where she was declared brought dead.
G. Radhika, Superintendent of Police of Chitradurga, told The Hindu that accused Rakesh, 19, and Parashuram 25, have been arrested. For the last three or four months, the brothers had been telling the locals that they could resolve many problems related to “evil forces” by invoking the deity. “The brothers have built a thatched hut near their house to perform such rituals,” she said.
The Chikkajajur police have booked a case under provisions of Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Practices and Black Magic Act, 2017, besides the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.